Photo by Shannon Kringen via Flickr Creative Commons

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was thank you,
that would be enough.”

~Meister Eckhart

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November… a month that revolves around the powerful force of gratitude.

It’s also the birthday month for my blog and for me. I started the Liberated Life Project almost two years ago, on my 49th birthday. I’ve been growing right along with my blog, and I want to celebrate that with all of you during this last half of the month.

It’s no small feat to keep a blog going for two years, as you may know. When I first started the LLP, I did so with the intention that it would be a vehicle to share writing that might open hearts and minds, and that it would inspire people to make beneficial connections inside themselves and with each other.

I’m so thrilled when those connections actually happen. All of the hard work of putting together a post each week is more than worth it when I look back on some of the wonderful alchemy that has come from this space. Here are a few highlights:

• After reading about the Thailand elephant adventure I took in 2011,  Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo was moved to join the trip with musician Jami Sieber. And once she did that, she was inspired to organize her own trip to India, as part of her Threads of Awakening project.
• Another reader, in turn, was moved to take Leslie’s online sewing course, the “Stitching Buddhas,” which was a wonderful spark for her creative process. She found out about it through  Freedom Friday here on the LLP.
• Best of all is the story of Britt Reints, author of In Pursuit of Happiness. Through one of my posts, she found out about a family in Louisiana who had hit some hard times and were in desperate need of a car. Britt and her husband were in the midst of a big transition and ready to let go of their car. The result of their generosity was absolutely magical. You can read Britt’s account here which includes a wonderful video.

I am so honored to have been the midwife for those kinds of connections.

When I read the responses to the reader’s survey I conducted last month, I was moved to learn about other ways that the LLP has made a difference in people’s lives:

• The encouragement and enthusiasm for life that I find on LLP makes me feel it is possible to take on new things in my life and to believe that change is possible.
• One of the most important things LLP has done for me is help connect me with kindred spirits. I have been really challenged to find fellow humans who share the same values I have: experiences, connection, nature, adventure and community.
• Maia, when I met you I was searching, knowledge was a hunger inside me. Your posts inspire me to break free and simple be. You inspire me and I love you for it!
• Your course [Fall in Love with Your Work] was life changing for me, to say the least. I am on a path to creating a liberation-based livelihood.

So… there are many reasons to be thankful. And what better way to celebrate gratitude than by giving stuff away?!

Next Tuesday, I’ll share a list of my top 10 favorite freedom books and offer you a chance to win some of them. The week after, November 27th,  is the official date of my birthday as well as the LLP’s birthday. On that day, I’ll celebrate with another give-away — by giving everyone a copy of my e-book, 9 Keys to Liberation, beautifully designed by my favorite graphic guy, Anoki Casey.

So stay tuned… it will be a great month! Until then, I leave you with this wonderful video from Brother David Steindl-Rast on the power of gratitude. I can watch this over and over and never tire of it… it’s an excellent way to start your day:

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