A few years ago, I was introduced to the 365 Grateful Project, started by Hailey Bartholomew. You can read about her at http://365grateful.com/
Thanks to her vision, this project has been taken up by many people all around the world and inspired them to be more aware of the little blessings we take for granted everyday.
One of the most touching projects that was inspired by it is the story of Amy Gill (see Note). She gave birth to twins and one of them died. Starting her own 365 Grateful project helped her cope with the loss so she could move on and be present for the surviving twin, as well as the rest of her family.
Today, I begin the process of collecting my Grateful entries thus far and publishing them here. I started my own Grateful project on the birthday of my Sufi master, Hazrat Pir Nader Angha of MTO Shahmaghsoudi.
As I state in my very first entry:
Although my life is rich with experiences of all kinds, if I had to choose only one event that had the most profound, most influential, and dramatic effect on me, above even having my own children, marrying my husband, or growing up with my parents and siblings, it would be when I met Hazrat Pir of MTO Shahmaghsoudi
I do not think I would be here today if not for him. Certainly, I would not be the person I am today.
After I completed the 365 entries, I realized that I could not stop. Once I had started thinking like this, there was no going back. So, that is why I started labeling them 365+ beyond the 365th entry. I hope to continue posting entries until I am no longer physically able to do so even with help; that is, till my dying day.
In Sufism, there is a word and a practice called ‘zikr.’ It is a Persian word meaning ‘remembrance.’ The deeper meaning of it in Sufi practice is too huge for me to discuss here, at the end of my essay. In short, my life is my ‘zikr.’
Note: When I came across Amy’s story, I thought it was the one that started it… so if you see my posts in which I mention this, please note that I was incorrect. When I come across the posts, I shall update with a correction.
My 365 Grateful Project entries: