In the home seva that I offer, I interact with many people via email. I find that acknowledging someone’s effort in offering seva is a powerful way of showing my gratitude and respect for them and their contribution.
Acknowledgments help me to connect to each fellow sevite with love. Although I have not met any of these people in person, this gesture lets them know that I feel we are all important parts of each other’s lives.
When someone acknowledges me, it motivates me to offer seva in a more efficient way; it also enhances my skills and boosts my confidence. Over the years, I have found that a genuine acknowledgment not only brightens my day, but also inspires me.
Each time I hear Gurumayi ji welcome us with respect and love, it fills my whole being with her love and grace.
Pune, India
I really enjoy acknowledging people. Whenever friends or colleagues ask me to write them a letter of recommendation, I am always very excited to do it. When I describe people’s positive qualities, it fills me with happiness.
This year I wrote Thanksgiving cards for each of the people I work with; I described what I uniquely appreciated about each of them. I enjoyed it so much that I began writing more Thanksgiving cards to neighbors and friends!
I have given my coworkers similar heartfelt cards for their birthdays and holidays. When one coworker received my Thanksgiving card, she mentioned how much she appreciates these “love letters.” She told me that she keeps them in a special place and that she takes them out and rereads them when she needs a boost. I was deeply touched to hear how meaningful my acknowledgments are to her. And, truly, in telling me this, she was acknowledging me.
To me, giving and receiving acknowledgment infuses daily life with the Divine.
California, United States
I give a lot of acknowledgments every day: to my boyfriend, my colleague, my dog. I even acknowledge my car for taking me to work so reliably.
However, when I have received acknowledgments, I haven’t known what to do with them for fear that they might inflate my ego. So, I have immediately returned acknowledgment by acknowledging the person who acknowledged me.
As I contemplated this behavior, I realized that people are acknowledging God in me—God who “dwells in me as me.” This realization now helps me to open my heart to the acknowledgments I receive.
Bern, Switzerland
I used to hold back on sharing my love for people. Then I realized it’s completely crazy to hold back what’s already there. My wife has a naturally generous spirit that inspires me. Now, I acknowledge the earth before I eat. Before we go to sleep at night, my wife and I acknowledge the great things that have happened in the day and the challenges we managed to rise above. We also acknowledge our failures as well as the kindness of strangers. This teaching has reminded me that I can expand my generosity in expressing my gratitude to others.
London, United Kingdom
