Gratefulness.org reflects on possibilities of pandemic for FRIENDSHIP FLU and means to assist its spread.Achoo! Bless you! Excuse us, but we are picking up on at least one of
you sneezing, as cold-and-flu season begins in the northern hemisphere and
as it winds down in the southern.
Sniffles are not the only thing people pass along to each other, thank
goodness. Friendship, one of the most healing influences in the world, is
also communicable. When it crosses international boundaries, something
deeper and more lasting than mere diplomacy happens. Now you can spread
good will by sending ecards to your French-, German- Portuguese-, and
Spanish-speaking friends in their own languages:
http://www.gratefulness.org/ecards/index.cfm
People pass peace across international boundaries, too. In this month’s
Gratefulnews, you can read about Austrian musicians bringing balm to
Haiti, a Muslim president reaching out to Jewish leaders, and ordinary
people in India and Pakistan starting a warming trend between their two
countries:
http://www.gratefulness.org/gratefulnews/index.htm
In a world that values being “relevant, powerful, and spectacular,” we can
also spread the countering values of perennial truth, vulnerability, and
simplicity. Dutch author and theologian Henri Nouwen, who taught at
prestigious universities like Notre Dame and Yale, turned a corner in his
life when he chose to live amongst mentally handicapped persons in a
Toronto L’Arche community:
http://www.gratefulness.org/giftpeople/henri_nouwen.htm
Nouwen’s courage and imagination in taking this step remind us of things
children know implicitly. Imagine asking your mother to design a costume
for you as “Sunny the Flying Guide Dog”! You will find a picture of Sunny
and other treats amongst our Halloween ecards:
http://www.gratefulness.org/ecards/show.cfm?ec=SE
The word “Halloween” comes from “All Hallow(mas) Even.” That’s the night
before All Hallows’ Day, also known as the Feast of All Saints, which
falls on November 1st. We’re reminded that we are all on the path to
sainthood, spreading friendship, peace, simplicity, and other joys to all
we meet.
