'Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.'

My dear friend Patricia, from Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker,
wrote a post yesterday....

You Had It All The Time

Patricia shares about a book she is reading,
I Had It All the Time written by Alan Cohen....

In Patricia's words....

'What it took me years to realize and what this book says is, 'I had it all the time.'

'I
spent years running here and there, reading this book, watching that
video on self-improvement. According to Alan Cohen's book, I didn't
have to do any of that searching. I already had it; I just didn't know
it. All I had to do is remember who I really am.'

Patricia's post started me thinking about the many online articles I have read by Alan Cohen.    Cohen has an easy, endearing style to his writing.

THANK YOU Patricia AND Alan !!!  I have no complaint whatsoever.


I found this article of his to share..........

Thank
You
for Everything

by Alan Cohen

The story is told about a woman Zen master named Sono who taught one
very simple method of enlightenment. She advised everyone who came to her to
adopt an affirmation to be said many times a day, under all conditions. The
affirmation was, 'Thank you for everything. I have no complaint
whatsoever.'

Many people from all arenas of life came to Sono for healing. Some
were in physical pain; others were emotionally distraught; others had financial
troubles; some were seeking soul liberation. No matter what their distress or
what question they asked her, her response was the same: 'Thank you for everything. I have no complaint
whatsoever.' Some people went away
disappointed; others grew angry; others tried to argue with her. Yet some people
took her suggestion to heart and began to practice it. Tradition tells that
everyone who practiced Sono?s mantra found peace and healing. 'Thank you for everything. I have no complaint
whatsoever.'

My friend Lisa, an attractive woman in her late 30?s, came to one of
my seminars after I had not seen her for a number of years. She informed the
group that a year earlier she had been diagnosed with a brain disorder that
required immediate surgery. The surgery was done, a steel plate was inserted in
her head, and her doctor keeps her under close observation. Lisa reported that
now she lives from day to day. Privately I told Lisa that I was sorry she had
gone through this whole ordeal. "Oh, don?t be sorry," she told me emphatically.
"I?m not sorry at all. This was one of the best things that has ever happened to
me. It really got me to appreciate my life and relationships. I married a
wonderful guy and we are thinking about having children. I wouldn?t trade the
experience if I could.' 'Thank you for everything. I have no complaint
whatsoever.'

Can you imagine what your life would be like if you simply dropped
your complaints? It's a radical proposal, since most of us have been trained to
question, analyze, and criticize everything we see. But then we end up
questioning, analyzing, and criticizing ourselves. Then we miss out on joy, the
only true measure of success.

The ecstatic mystic poet Hafiz proclaimed, 'All a sane man can ever
think about is giving love.'  One evening I received a phone call from my friend
Cliff, a Jewish guy from Brooklyn who discovered A Course in
Miracles and became a world-class love exuder. Cliff just went
around finding good and beauty in everyone he met. On the phone, Cliff told me, 'I just called to tell you how much I love and appreciate you.'

'Well, thank you Cliff,' I answered, delighted. 'I really appreciate
that . . . What prompted you to call me at this moment?'

'My knee was hurting me, and I knew that the only way I could feel
better would be to give more love. So I began to think of the people in my life
who I care about, and you came to mind.'    'Thank you for everything. I have no complaint
whatsoever.'

As we approach the holiday of Thanksgiving, many of us will be
getting together with our families. Perhaps family issues may come to the fore
and we might be tempted to fall into a pattern of rehashing old resentments and
arguments. Wouldn?t it be fabulous if, as we sat with our relatives, we held in
mind, 'Thank you for everything. I have no complaint
whatsoever.' Imagine
what this Thanksgiving would be like if we decided that no matter how much mom
complained about dad; how much dad bugged us about getting a real job; or how
unspiritual our ex is, we chose to be an unstoppable appreciation machine and
found the good in our loved ones. Indeed this would be a triumphant Thanksgiving
to remember!

Yes, I know, there is a voice inside you objecting, 'But if I did not
complain, people would walk all over me and selfish opportunists would
genetically manipulate my food and terrorists would keep crashing airplanes into
buildings and . . ., . . ., and. . . . Got it. Now if you went to Sono, her
response would be,'Thank you for everything. I have no complaint
whatsoever.'

 I am simply suggesting that we practice the mantra for an
entire Thanksgiving day. And then maybe one day a week. Then we might start to
feel so good and our lives will become so effective that we want to turn every
day into Thanksgiving.

In my book Handle
with Prayer I state that the highest form of prayer is
gratitude. Instead of asking God for stuff, start thanking God for stuff, and
you will find that God has already given you everything you could want or need,
including the adventure of discovering more riches every day.

Life is a big treasure hunt. Eventually we grow weary of seeking
treasures outside ourselves, and we begin to look within. There we discover that
the gold we sought, we already are. The beauty we overlooked because we were
focusing on what was missing, still lives and awaits us like an anxious lover.
As T.S. Eliot nobly noted, 'The end of all our exploring will be to arrive
where we started and know the place for the first time.'

Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.
Have
a great Thanksgiving.