SILENCE!!!!!

I am grateful for days of silence.

Happy 2009!

This year I will be ringing in the new year in silence. I will be in silence all day starting when I wake January first and continuing until I wake January 2nd.

This is a personal growth ritual that I have done before, and lately I've been feeling called to it.

During this time I will be focusing the energy and attention that normally goes into speaking on manifesting joy, love, peace and equality in my life and the world around me in 2009.

I will likely spend this day at home but if you happen to come across me, feel free to speak to me, hug me, or interact in whatever way you normally would, but please do not take offense when I do not speak to you. I'm not dissing you or ignoring anyone, I'm simply observing a day of silence.

I won't be answering emails, text or phone calls during this time, nor will I be surfing the net. I'll be responding to email etc. on the next day.

I’m really looking forward to this. It has always been an awesome experience when I have observed times of silence in the past be they 4 hours or 4 days.

May 2009 bring you all your hopes and find you feeling fulfilled and refreshed!

Hot cereal

Mmmmmmmmm hot cereal is great for a chilly moment. It does a body good.

Random Acts of Kindness

The other day a friend came over, and he brought with him a couple boxes of chocolate coverd cherries. Now normally I do not like chocolate covered cherries, but I appreciated that he thought of me, and what he could bring over that I might like, and then acted on it.

Something I strive to participate in are Random acts of Kindness. And that is what these boxes of chocolates reminded me of. As I bite into one, I have found that it is all the more delicous as I remember that. So today I am grateful for random acts of kindness...and chocolate.

I am grateful for fire pagodas

When I started Envision Gratitude, I intended for it to be a much more visual blog including drawings, sketches, paintings, and photographs. So I am returning this blog to it's roots, and will be uploading photographs of things I am grateful for. If you would like to contribute to this blog, please let me know!!

Last night we sat around the fire pagoda in our backyard. Nothing like a good time around the fire with friends and family. Today I am grateful for fire pagodas, fire pits, etc.

Grateful for my Smart Phone

It slices it dices...well no it doesn't! But I love my new smart phone.

And Today I am especially grateful to be able to take pictures on it, like the ones at humans4equality

Imagine

Today I am grateful for the picture this email painted for me. I am, therefor, passing it on to you:

Imagine
The year is 2016. You glance at the television one morning and see President Obama having another of his many press conferences. He has now been in office for almost 8 years. It has not been perfect, but things are much better than when he took office in January of 2009.
You notice that his hair has whitened and he still has that winning smile and that take charge/positive energy that he had when he was campaigning back in 2008.

You remember how concerned you were about whether or not he would win in 2008 and you feel deeply contented that he has been safely in office for such a long time. He and Congress have done much to address global warming, healthcare, development of alternative energy sources and a variety of other important matters to the country and the planet.
You feel deep gratitude for the past eight years and how things have unfolded.

See it...Feel it...breathe it...Pass it on. Let us...remember... all of the wonderful reasons we appreciate this reality.

THE CHALLENGE:
Take 30 seconds right now. Close your eyes and imagine exactly what our country will feel like.

Imagine how good it will feel.
Imagine whatever it is about that future that you desire.
Imagine successful diplomacy.
Imagine peace and restored prosperity.
Imagine the citizen groups, progressive populism, social justice, and the grassroots finding their voice.
Imagine windmills and clean cars.
Imagine the earth being healed and revitalized.
Imagine being very proud of your country and its leader. Imagine whatever it is that draws you to support change. Imagine what your life will look like.

Just 30 seconds. Do it several times a day. We can shift and change the vibration of this country with positive visions just like this.

Love

I am grateful for the love of my family. Family of birth, and those I've picked up along the way. For the love of my friends, be they near or far. And for the love of my service dog who is at my side through thick and thin. Love knows no boundaries, it simply is.

Friends

I am grateful for friends to talk to on the phone and via text messages

I am grateful for the weather

It was only 83 degrees yesterday! Here in Phoenix, AZ that is nice and cool.

I am so grateful for some days in the 80's so I can lay out on my back patio and enjoy my new backyard. It's not completed yet, but the landlord sent me a check to pay the landscaper, so it's started, and will be finished soon. Probably within the week! :) YAY it will be nice to have a beautiful yard to look at and it is wonderful to have lovely weather to lay out in.

I am grateful that it's warm enough to wear shorts almost all year long in Phoenix.

Mom

I'm grateful for my Mom who has stuck by me through whatever I've done or said in my life. Even if she doesn't agree with me, she loves me.

Pene

You were joy personified. A bouncy trouncy fun fun fun fun friend! And I miss you already. I ache inside knowing you are gone. I hope your journey from here on out is your every dream. Wherever you may be in the next life. And I hope for those you loved in this one, that your friends and their friends will watch over your beloved.

I am grateful for the joy you brought in my life and those around you. You will be missed.

Color

I am grateful for color, because it brightens my world, and allows me to be all the more creative. I painted this plate at Color Me Mine last year. It's too expensive for me to go there often, but it can be a really fun creative outlet from time to time.

Gratitude for Pain

Pain is a constant in my life, and as such inspires much of my art. Without having lived with a chronic pain illness, I would not have become the person I am today. I am grateful for the pain despite the times I forget this, because it reminds me of my strength. I know I can get through anything. And I know who my true family and friends are. Those who stuck with me before I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and after, those are my true family. My Mother, Father, sister Amy, Aunt Isabelle, etc. and especially Patch and Carlie.

Sometimes I am told I am a very patient guy, but I don't see it as patience, I see it as being willing to persevere. The above painting was done when I was coming out of a particularly bad flare. It's called Myalgia, My Pain.

Laughter with friends

Last night was a beautiful day. I was grateful to spend time with friends laughing, and having a great time

Mi familia

Today I recognize that I am blessed and grateful for my biofamily as well as my chosen family. It's been a couple of weeks full of trials and tribulations of a more escalated type and what a blessing it has been to just know that I have so many people who really "have my back." I'm still not terribly happy about the situations that I've had to go through, but I got through them with the help of the folks I love so much, especially the two I gave birth to. They are really fine human beings and I am proud of them. That's not to say that they don't get on my last nerve sometimes. They ARE still my children.

My meditation today was focused on all the blessings of my life from the family that has gone on to another plane.

I wish you all peace, joy, bubbles and sunshine.

Created Community

I am grateful for created community. For those people who we gather around us because of similarities, and love despite our differences. Today I am reminded of the love, peace and joy I have received and been able to put out to others because of the Alternatives Health and Wellness Center here in Phoenix, AZ. The pictures in this post were all taken by me in Alternatives.

Sometimes we need the support a created community provides. Especially when the other people around us put us down, or otherwise drag us down on a daily basis. I think these pictures say it all.

What is Community to you? Who is a part of your community and how are you grateful for them?

This blog is a space meant to bring more joy to the world around us by sharing our gratitude as visually as possible. If you would like to post to Envision Gratitude, send me an email at smbryceart@yahoo.com with your ideas for this blog!

Mmmmmmmmm Pancakes

Today I am grateful for breakfast with loved ones. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Pancakes!

La Jolla Beach

Whether I am meditating for pain management, centering, peace, or simply to practice meditation, when I do so at the beach I always feel instantly connected to the Universe. My father lives near Laguna Nigel, Aliso Park Beach, and some other amazing spots. These pictures were taken on my most recent visit to S. CA at La Jolla Beach. Probably one of my favorite spots ever.

When I'm not on the beach I can still find it's peace and connection by visualizing the pounding of the waves. I visualize my pain soaking into the grains of sand where it's neutralized and floats out to sea to become a viable and useful part of the universe, and to leave my body. The scent of the oceanside plants and the taste of salty air soothes me as does the cool ocean breeze which I can feel gently caress my skin even in the heat of Arizona. I feel my body relaxing with the pound of each wave vibrating through the soft sands of La Jolla as I revisit it in my mind.

Even in death

Today as my heart breaks, I am grateful for my friend's life. We'd lost touch over the years, but the time we spent together in our young lives was important to me and I've kept it close. We laughed together at a time when I was facing a rush to adulthood, becoming someone's mom. We sang together like drunk monkeys on those sweet summer nights by Shelby Lake. We cried together when his sister was taken from us in a car crash. We were family when he and my best friend decided to get engaged. We stayed family when they broke up. 

So many years have passed. This morning I found out that Bubba's place in my heart was still there. Now it's broken, but I'm grateful that we had the time that we did. I am blessed to have known him. 

Family

Today I am grateful for Patch and Carlie. They are always there to hold me up when I need someone to lean on. Sometimes literally! I am grateful for snuggling by the television with home made cookies, hanging out whether we're eating out and looking snazzy or relaxing by the fire in our pajamas. Today I truly am grateful for Patch and Carlie.

Pictured left to right: Carlie, Sean-Michael, Patch