Issue # 50

UPWARD BOUND J * O * U * R * N * A * L
SPIRITUAL LESSONS FOR YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH

This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad
in it. (Psalm 118:24)
T
he year at hand has dwindled down to just a few remaining
days and the year ahead is anxiously waiting to burst open
like a winter wildflower. I love the week between Christmas and New
Years because its the one week that seems to naturally guide us to a
gentle time of reflection and contemplation; reflecting the year that is
passing and contemplating the new cycle about to get underway.
Dottie and I frequently share with each other a variety of things for
which we are grateful and theres no doubt it keeps us in a positive/
optimistic mood. At the end of the year we take an even deeper look. We
love our home and were content just to be here, whether quietly working
on our individual creative projects (Dottie making stamp-art cards and me
photo-editing picture files), or working side-by-side in the kitchen putting
a new twist on one of our dinner favorites. As much as we love seeing and
being with family and friends, we delight in being at home even more.
Theres always something new that gets our attention and appreciation;
at the moment its the fascination with advances in internet technology,
making time and space almost insignificant. Preparing for this lesson I
started looking for some books on-line, and late on a Saturday evening I
found a couple of titles, downloaded them to my computers Nook book
reading program and had them on my screen to read in less than ten
Thank You
minutes. Simultaneously, they appeared opened to the same page on
Dotties iPad, wirelessly connected across the house.
At Christmas we received a video webcam for our computer which
inspired me to hook up to Skype. In short order Dottie and I were on-
camera talking to our children in Seattle, as casually as if we were all
sitting in the same room. Science fiction has become a reality and we
greet it almost unceremoniously, as if it had been here through the ages.
Our grandchildren will not be able to comprehend the years-gone-by pace
of snail-mail or the challenges of operator-assisted long distance phone
calls when they grow up which is as it should be.
As weve just said and intimated, feeling grateful and expressing our
gratitude provides a very positive sense of well-being in our day-to-day
lives. In fact gratitude plays a much more important role in all of our lives
than many people realize. Many books have been written on the subject
and I have to thank TV news personality, Deborah Norville for writing
Thank You Power Making the Science of Gratitude Work For You.
There are a number of quotes and illustrations throughout this lesson that
are the result of reading her book.
Im quite sure all of our Upward Bound readers express their gratitude
many times throughout the year for the good they experience, but many of
us also go through a number of challenges during that same period of time
as well. Perhaps we havent learned to associate gratitude as a tool for
overcoming our challenges, so heres a promise: You and I can each make
this the best year of our lives through the simple act of being thankful
every single day of the year. Gratitude will pave the way and change your
life like nothing else.
Charles Dickens said, Reflect on your present blessings of which
every man has many; not upon your past misfortunes, of which all men
have some. One of the basic teachings of Unity is simply that Life is
Consciousness. We create our reality all of our daily situations,
challenges, and successes through our thoughts, words and deeds. In
other words life doesnt happen TO us, it happens THROUGH us; we
create our reality by virtue of our state of mind, our attitudes, emotions,
beliefs and our ability to react with confidence to the bumps in the road
called life.
However, words alone, empty words without heart-felt feelings, do not
have the power to manifest a positive reality. Our words and thoughts
must be genuine and be accompanied with conviction to carry the creative
energy it takes to guide our lives onward and upward. When the words
thank you are spoken automatically or in an obligatory way they are
without power. But, when spoken sincerely and from the heart their
energy can create miracles.
One recent December, at age 53, John Kralik found his life at a
terrible, frightening low: his small law firm was failing; he was struggling
through a painful second divorce; he had grown distant from his two older
children and was afraid he might lose contact with his young daughter; he
was living in a tiny apartment where he froze in the winter and baked in
the summer; he was 40 pounds overweight; his girlfriend had just broken
up with him; and overall, his dearest life dreams including hopes of
upholding idealistic legal principles and of becoming a judge seemed to
have slipped beyond his reach.
Then, during a desperate walk in the hills above Los Angeles, on New
Year s Day, searching for a place where he could be alone, John became
lost. In his book he writes: Still not finding the path (back), I began to
slip and stumble in the rough terrain. As I became more lost and tired, I
began to despair of getting home before dark, much less finishing
something I started in the new year. I imagined falling down into one of
the ravines. If that happened, how would I survive the night?
Then I heard a voice: "Until you learn to be grateful for the things you
have," it said, "you will not receive the things you want." I do not know
U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * L
2
No duty is more urgent than that of
returning thanks. Saint Ambrose
Gratitude is not only the greatest of
virtues, but the parent of all others.
Cicero
who spoke to me. I could not explain this voice, or the words it said, which
seemed to have no logical relation to the other thoughts in my head.
Inspired by a beautiful, simple note his ex-girlfriend had sent to thank
him for his Christmas gift, John imagined that he might find a way to feel
grateful by writing thank-you notes of his own. To keep himself going, he
set himself a goal - that come what may - he would write 365 thank-you
notes that coming year.
One by one, day after day, he began to handwrite thank-yous - for
gifts or kindnesses hed received from loved ones and co-workers, from
past business associates and even current foes, from college friends and
doctors and store clerks and handymen and neighbors, and anyone, really,
absolutely anyone, whod done him a good turn, however large or small.
Immediately after hed sent his very first notes, significant and
surprising benefits began to come Johns way - from financial gain to true
friendship, from weight loss to inner peace. While John wrote his notes,
the economy collapsed, the bank across the street from his office failed,
but thank-you note by thank-you note, John s whole life was restored.
365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My
Life by John Kralik.
Mr. Kraliks book was an inspiring read and his experience has inspired
me with this lesson. For one thing I vividly recall being guided by that
same Divine Voice at a time when I desperately needed to change the
direction of my own life. So, I know from personal experience that the
Voice is real, and it was the most wonderful blessing I have ever
received.
Id like each of you to have the kind of blessing Mr. Kralik had as you
begin this new year. So, heres the assignment from this Upward Bound
lesson. While it is certainly good and beneficial for us to think and even
speak words of appreciation and thanksgiving, writing notes and actually
sending them to the individuals concerned, multiplies the result by ten-fold
or more. This is the year for each of us to put our feelings of thankfulness
on paper and send them to the people who have provided us with a
blessing. Once a week at a minimum.
Putting your Thank You into written form and delivering it to the
appropriate recipient is like cranking up the loving energy we like to
describe as Grace. Sending written words requires your commitment to
say what you honestly believe, and releases any resistance you might have
to sharing your words with the rest of the world. In response the Universe
will deliver mysterious blessings to you, simply because you have made
room for them by opening your heart to bless others. When you write and
send your thank you notes you literally create a vacuum in your Being that
can only be filled with good.
There is only one caveat; if you send thank yous for the sole purpose
of getting something in return, it probably wont happen. Your only
expectation should be that the recipient will feel blessed.
I find that the more willing I am to be grateful for small things, the
bigger stuff just seems to show up from unexpected sources, and I am
constantly looking forward to each day with all the surprises that keep
coming my way. - Louise Hay
Would you like to make this the best year of your life? The Earth and
the Moon are zooming through space, making another orbit of the Sun, and
you and I are here for the ride, so we might as well make the most of it;
right?
Absolutely! We are all beloved children of God and as such we deserve
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U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * L
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in
everything give thanks; for this is the will of
God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians
4
the very best life has to offer, especially since thats what God wants for
us. Jesus brought it to our attention when he said, I came that (you) may
have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). He even told us how to do
it; seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
shall be yours as well (Mat 6:33). Gods Kingdom is Love and every
Thank You you send is an expression of your love for all of Gods
Creation.
John Kralik drew from deep within his experiences to send his thank
you notes to all the individual people who had been a part of his life, past
and present. And he said in a recent television interview that the habit was
so established by the end of the year he couldnt stop writing, so now he
has passed the 600 note mark and is still going. It should be no surprise
that his life keeps getting better and better as well.
While I intend to write to a lot of people, I realize that there are many
things for which I am grateful that arent associated with any particular
person(s), such as my sense of contentment as I putter in our flower garden
or when I recognize the privilege I have being a US Citizen and living in
the sunny state of Florida. I rejoice that my fingers are still nimble enough
to pick up something as fine as a human hair and that my back is still
flexible enough to support a decent golf swing. I thank God every day for
these kinds of blessings, but its hard to write Him a note that either the
mail person or the internet will deliver. Thats where a Blessing Journal
comes in.
Our Unity minister colleagues, John & Lauren McLaughlin, have even
created a computer program for tracking our thoughts of gratitude on a
daily basis. You can find it at their website: www.UnityNow.com (Look

U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * L
for the Gratefulness link.) Youll find it more than worth your while.
And they have much more to say about the power of gratitude.
And so we end this lesson by saying Thank You to all of our Upward
Bound readers, subscribers and financial supporters. Your feedback on
the things youve read in Upward Bound that have meant something to
you, provide the incentive for us to write and publish one more issue, and
then one more, and then another. Theres little point in writing if there are
no readers, but your notes and complimentary comments indicate that
what we are doing is making a difference to more than just one or two
just the right subject at just the right time tells us that there is a Divine
Hand guiding our work.
When we started I did not contemplate 50 issues, but now that we have
met that milestone Im beginning to think in terms of 100. Perhaps the
Book that was our original intention will turn out to be a compilation of
the best of the Upward Bound Journals. In any event, publishing Upward
Bound has given both of our lives deeper meaning and a sense of
fulfillment, and so we say to each of you - thank you for making it
possible.
Richest blessings for a
wonder-filled New Year,
Art & Dottie
Holt
Happiness shared is happiness
doubled. Swedish proverb.
Sometimes the gifts are simply the awareness of the scent of a
rose that sweetens a day made sad by the passing of a friend. Or the
sound of a stream of water rippling over and around granite boulders,
etching them smooth, and reminding me how infinite time is in Your
Presence.
Sometimes the gifts are material in nature, teaming with living
substance and prospering manifestations. And sometimes the gifts are
simply the silence itself where I can feel lifted by a sense of gratitude and
thanksgiving. And often times the gifts come when I think I am least
worthy to receive them.
But, there are always gifts. My life is filled with Your gifts and my
cup truly overflows with Your goodness and Your grace. Lord, my heart
swells with joyful gratitude as I realize that I am truly one of Your beloved
children. I feel wonderfully blessed and privileged to have the life you
have given me.
~~~
I begin now to let my thoughts return to an awareness of this
physical place and this current moment of time. As I focus on taking in
another life sustaining deep and refreshing breath, I begin to feel the life
energy circulating throughout my body. I am once again aware of the
friends and loved ones nearby and even those beyond the distance of my
reach. I feel the Divine connection with all of life and particularly with the
enriching energy of your living presence. It is all here and now and I
realize just how blessed my life has become this day.
Thank You, God, for everything!
Thank You, God.
Amen
My Life is Filled with Gods Goodness and Grace

I invite you to take a moment now to begin to feel the joy of
relaxation, and the peacefulness of allowing your cares and concerns to
simply dissolve into the invisible realm of contentment. Set aside the
worldly items in your hands, relax the tensions in your eyes, and slowly
begin to take in and release one or two deep refreshing breaths.
Peace, be still.
And now, as you relax even further, just allow my prayer to be your
prayer, my words to be your words, my joy to be your joy.
Lord, the music of the silence opens the window to my soul. Here in
the softness of quiet sounds I feel the peace and calmness I have longed
for. I am now open and receptive to Your living Spirit of Truth. I am open
to Your loving guidance. I am open to Your Presence and to the
awakening of that part of me where I become consciously aware of the
abundance of goodness that is such an big part of my life.
Where ever I turn, Your good is already there, awaiting me.
Whichever direction my life seems to take, You have gone before me to
prepare the way. The path I walk is not on rough stones, nor newly
paved, or overgrown and forgotten by lack of use, but a path made
smooth and easy by the many times you have walked it for me in
anticipation of my awakening to Your Spirit guidance.
At every milestone that marks the progress along my individual life
path, there is a reminder, not only of Your Omnipresence, but of the
Sacred Love You pour out for me through gifts of both substance of life
and the essence of joy and peace. Sometimes the gifts take on human
form, through friendships and acquaintances that enrich and support
my life; or that give me extra strength to face and overcome a challenge;
or to fill me with laughter and joyfulness in moments of real celebration.
5
M E D I T A T I O N
photo by Art Holt





Upward Bound of Unity, Inc.
10870 SW 71st Circle
Ocala, FL 34476
Phone (352) 861 - 5518
Email: UpwardBoundRev@aol.com

Upward Bound Journal
is a Unity publishing ministry based on Biblical teachings and dedicated to
writing and presenting spiritual, inspirational, and metaphysical principles
which empower people to enrich and transform their lives.

For more information about Upward Bound email us at:
UpwardBoundRev@aol.com or go to our website:
www.upwardboundjournal.com.
Issue # 50 Thank You
Upward Bound Journal is of Upward Bound of Unity, Inc. 2010

Member: Association of Unity Churches International, SunCoast Unity Ministers Association, and
affiliated with: Unity Institute and Silent Unity, publishers of Daily Word. Upward Bound of Unity, Inc.
is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), charitable corporation sustained entirely by your tax deductible gifts.

(All photographs herein are by Art Holt unless otherwise credited.)
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U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * L
WORDS WE LIVE BY
Our thoughts and words create our reality. Let us acknowledge
another word that will impact our lives in wonderful ways. This time the
word is Seek & Find
Optimists see life as a glass half full and pessimists see life as a glass
half empty, so how do critics and supporters see life? In my experience,
supporters see accomplishments and critics see errors: supporters focus on
growth and improvement, while critics ignore those aspects and are caught
up in what is incomplete or mistakes made. Teachers are supporters, they
take pride in their students progress. Conversely, testing those students is a
critics way to measure their degree of imperfection.
I recall when I was judged by a spelling mistake in a complex spread-
sheet presentation and not acknowledged for the variable cost information
that the spread-sheet provided. My assignment was to show how the cost
per single copy of our magazine would vary with each change in the
production elements, like changes in the quality of paper, the subscription
rate, circulation growth and decline, the number of pages in each issue, the
number of color photographs or the number of issues published per year.
Change any aspect and the cost per copy would change accordingly.
Linking all the formulas in a chain made the bottom line information
changes automatic. But a misspelled word in one of the labels provoked
the only comment my boss made.
My ego was deflated, but I learned a valuable lesson. Seek and you
shall find would be more accurate if it read: whatever you find, youve
been seeking. If you want to find something good, look for it. If you find
imperfection, thats what youve been looking for.
From that perspective, Pauls statement in (Philippians 4:8) becomes
loaded with insight as well as a beautiful message: Whatsoever things are
beautiful, think on these things. Actually it reads in total: Whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report: if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things.
If you want to find the good you must seek it. Thats why Jesus
said: Seek first the Kingdom... and all else will be added unto you.
Richest blessings, Art Holt
Rev. Arthur Holt
Unity Minister
Dottie Holt
Licensed Unity
Teacher
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Upward Bound Upward Bound Upward Bound Upward Bound
Journal, Journal, Journal, Journal,

10870 SW 71st Circle,

Ocala, FL 34476


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Photo by Art Holt
A Prayer for the New Year

Let us pray that strength and courage abundant be given to all who work for a world of reason and
understanding. That the good that lies in each of our hearts may day by day be magnified. That we will
come to see more clearly not that which divides us, but that which unites us. That the true spirit of
Love -- its joy, its beauty, its hope, and above all its abiding faithmay live among us. That the blessings
of peace be oursthe peace to build and grow, to live in harmony with every person on this Blessed
planet.
Amen
Visit our new Upward Bound Journal Web site.

Go to: www.upwardboundjournal.com to see it all.
Past issues from UBJ #20 to present (UBJ #50) are all available in Adobe PDF file format and just a click
away. Read them on your computer screen or save to your hard drive, or print your own copy, or send the
PDF file to your friend(s) as an attachment to your email.

Thank you for your financial support; whether once a year, once an each issue or once a month. Even a
small publishing ministry like ours needs that continual income blessing in order to keep on keeping on, and
your dollars have done just that. Thank you and lets keep in touch.
Art Art Art Art