I am TRULY thankful to have had the chance to see many beautiful sights in Rio de Janeiro during my visit in August!
If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is “thank you,” that would suffice. ~ Meister Eckhart
Twin Brothers Mountain in Rio de Janiero. I’m grateful to have been able to see this amazing view!
I have been thinking a lot about the above quote. Lately, it seems, I have been inundated with people, movies, articles and posts that tell me and others the “right” way to live, act, think and even worship. I believe now more than ever that the Golden Rule is of utmost importance and that before we act, the most important question to ask ourselves is, “Would I like it if someone did that or said that to me?
Nobody knows for certain, of course, what happens when we are no longer drawing breath on this earth. I think it is arrogant at best to proclaim to the world that our beliefs are the only ones of value and the only ones that are valid. It is my humble opinion that the world would be a much better place if we all worked on bettering ourselves and gave less concern to the faults of those around us. While I am not as knowledgeable as I would like about scripture, I do recall something about being less concerned with the splinter in our neighbor’s eye and more about the two by four in our own. Those of you similar to myself will want to see the “correct version” now, so here it is: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” – Matthew 7:3-5
I believe if we take Eckhart’s words to heart and learn to be thankful for what we have we will be much happier. Everyone alive on this earth has challenges and we have no idea what another person might be going through. By showing compassion for those we encounter and by being grateful for our joys and our trials (aka leaning experiences 😉 ) we can inspire others to do the same and can make at least our little corner of the world a bit better. 🙂
picturingpositive 
That is truly the heart of the matter. If one’s religion is love, kindness and gratitude, that speaks to the soul of all our planet’s great “religions.” So happy to have found your blog, Beth. And thank you for your visit to mine. Best wishes, WG
Thank you so very much, WG 🙂 In a book I read a while back, The Spiral Staircase, the author had begun the process of becoming a nun but didn’t complete her training, and became fascinated with the teachings of many religions and cultures. The one thing she found that tied them together is compassion and treating others the way we would like to be treated. I totally agree and love to find others who have similar feelings 🙂 Thank you for visiting and for your wise words 🙂 All the best to you too! ~ Beth
Wow, beautiful pic! I had no clue there were mountains behind the sugar mountain:)!!! Thanks for sharing ❤
I was totally blown away by the gorgeous landscape, mountains, ocean, basically everything in Brazil, including wonderful people! Really, I knew very little about Rio de Janeiro and Brazil before I won the trip. Thank YOU for taking the time to stop by!! 🙂
Oh, and I love what you wrote 🙂
Thank you so much! You’ve made my day! 🙂 ❤
I think in our tendency to dwell on the bad things that happen, we do not appreciate the good things. We all need to be thankful, be grateful and most of all BE KIND. Take care Beth. Allan
Most definitely Allan! I have a little tapestry that says “Kind People are the Best Kind of People” ❤ I couldn’t agree more! 😊 Hope your day is filled with kindness and many things to be thankful for!