Mandala Challenge: Gratitude~Thanksgiving~Forgiveness

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~ Melody Beattie

Hello beautiful spirits...
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches I reflect on my own life...and feel abiding gratitude within me... I'm reminded of what gratitude feels like in my heart center... its a warm glow...peaceful, feeling of contentment...a quiet(er) mind... a basking in the glow of gratitude, apprecition...and thanks-giving. I also realize...that I can't have true and complete "thanksgiving" (I don't mean the holiday)... without first "forgiving"...be it someone, some incident, or myself. Forgiveness is key....it allows us to complete our "life mandala"...to let the circle be unbroken.
.
So, the mandala challenge is: ...if thanksgiving...or forgiving/forgiveness....or gratitude...or appreciation were a mandala...what would it look like? ......What would the "essence" of that energy look like? -- I invite you to close your eyes...take a few deep, cleansing breaths... get still...and inquire within...and set the intention to create a mandala that shows the energy of what you need to express/release. It might be one mandala...or a few.......There's no getting around it... we must let go of what we don't want...in order to make room what we do want..and to experience its fullness down in our bones...that might mean making a mandala for unforgiveness which clears the space for mandalas of thanksgiving, forgiveness, gratitude and appreciation.
.
If you decide to partake of challenge...please be sure to share your mandala...and your experience with us :) either by leaving your blog link here... or by joining us at the very kindred and inspiring Mandala Oasis Yahoo! Community (see link at top, right).
.
I am reminded of my "Gratitude-joy" mandala as I write this... So... I'll share it with you again here: http://mandalaoasis.blogspot.com/2008/09/gratitude-joy.html --
I'll see what other mandala comes up for me..in light of this post...I'll share it here.
Peace & blessings... ~Cheryl

"Peace Within"

Peace

...all around...

and within.

I imagine

this is what "peace cells"

would look like

under a microscope,

wall -to-wall...

shoulder-to-shoulder

...a world of peace

in each cell..

in each of "our" cells

just imagine it...

feel it.

Allow more peace

to be born

within your very cells.

"Mind/Body/Spirt" focus -"Mandalas for Peace Project"