LizKauai

Personal blog of Liz from Kauai.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Mahalo Nui Loa!

http://www.bahai.us/thanksgiving

Getting to the heart and soul of Thanksgiving


thanks
At this season we reflect on the spiritual significance of thanksgiving with the following words of Abdu’l-Baha, son of Baha’u’llah, Founder of the Baha'i Faith. Abdu'l-Baha shared these thoughts when he visited the United States in 1912:

"Thankfulness is of various kinds. There is a verbal thanksgiving which is confined to a mere utterance of gratitude. This is of no importance because perchance the tongue may give thanks while the heart is unaware of it.

"Many who offer thanks to God are of this type, their spirits and hearts unconscious of thanksgiving. This is mere usage, just as when we meet, receive a gift and say thank you, speaking the words without significance. One may say thank you a thousand times while the heart remains thankless, ungrateful.

"Therefore, mere verbal thanksgiving is without effect. But real thankfulness is a cordial giving of thanks from the heart. When man in response to the favors of God manifests susceptibilities of conscience, the heart is happy, the spirit is exhilarated. These spiritual susceptibilities are ideal thanksgiving.

"There is a cordial thanksgiving, too, which expresses itself in the deeds and actions of man when his heart is filled with gratitude. For example, God has conferred upon man the gift of guidance, and in thankfulness for this great gift certain deeds must emanate from him.

"To express his gratitude for the favors of God man must show forth praiseworthy actions. In response to these bestowals he must render good deeds, be self-sacrificing, loving the servants of God, forfeiting even life for them, showing kindness to all the creatures.

"He must be severed from the world, attracted to the Kingdom of Abha, the face radiant, the tongue eloquent, the ear attentive, striving day and night to attain the good pleasure of God. Whatsoever he wishes to do must be in harmony with the good pleasure of God. He must observe and see what is the will of God and act accordingly. There can be no doubt that such commendable deeds are thankfulness for the favors of God.

"Consider how grateful anyone becomes when healed from sickness, when treated kindly by another or when a service is rendered by another, even though it may be of the least consequence. If we forget such favors, it is an evidence of ingratitude. Then it will be said a loving-kindness has been done, but we are thankless, not appreciating this love and favor.

"Physically and spiritually we are submerged in the sea of God's favor. He has provided our foods, drink and other requirements; His favors encompass us from all directions. The sustenances provided for man are blessings. Sight, hearing and all his faculties are wonderful gifts. These blessings are innumerable; no matter how many are mentioned, they are still endless.

"Spiritual blessings are likewise endless -- spirit, consciousness, thought, memory, perception, ideation and other endowments. By these He has guided us, and we enter His Kingdom. He has opened the doors of all good before our faces. He has vouchsafed eternal glory. He has summoned us to the Kingdom of heaven. He has enriched us by the bestowals of God. Every day he has proclaimed new glad tidings. Every hour fresh bounties descend.

"Consider how all the people are asleep, and ye are awake. They are dead, and ye are alive through the breaths of the Holy Spirit. They are blind while ye are endowed with perceptive sight. They are deprived of the love of God, but in your hearts it exists and is glowing. Consider these bestowals and favors.

"Therefore, in thanksgiving for them ye must act in accordance with the teachings of Baha’u’llah. Ye must read the Tablets -- the Hidden Words, Ishraqat, Glad Tidings -- all the holy utterances, and act according to them. This is real thanksgiving, to live in accord with these utterances. This is true thankfulness and the divine bestowal. This is thanksgiving and glorification of God."
--Excerpt from a talk given by Abdu'l-Baha in 1912
          Promulgation of Universal Peace, pg. 236-237



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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Deathly Hallows

I'm just wild about Harry!


http://www.npr.org/2010/11/16/131360868/paranoia-psychodrama-dominate-deathly-hallows


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

In this Day

Truly, It's the Day of God

Celebrating the Birth of Baha'u'llah
November 12


Van Gilmer - In This Day, Baha'u'llah

Joyful Chord | Myspace Music Videos




Baha'u'llah from Matthew Salmanzadeh on Vimeo.

"The impartial investigation of truth depends upon the effort and pure qualities of the seeker. Only in this way can the individual attain to the true knowledge of God.”


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Warrior Pride.


Pride.:
Four Expectations
1) Expect To Win.
2) Expect To Be In A Dogfight.
3) Expect That Sometime During the Game; Winning Will Appear To Be Impossible.
4) Expect To Win The Game Late In The Fourth Quarter.

Pride.:
We are Hawaii. We are the Warriors. We have presence. We have confidence. We posture ourselves properly. When we walk into a room, we have amd walk with a commanding presence. Boise state has to beat us. They have to play their best game to beat us. We are the leaders in the WAC for the year 2010. We are in the lead in the conference. We are at the top of the conference standings. Boise State has to beat us. They will need all of the help that they can get. They will need hometown advantage, they will need to paint their field blue. They are coming onto our field to try to beat us. Yes, our field. Every field that we step onto is our field. Everything between the lines is ours. We will own the line of scrimmage, we will own the field. No matter what city we go to, we will own the field. That is our posture. That is the culture that we are building as Warriors. Teams have to play up to us. Nuff said.

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