I firmly believe that as we practice peace within we can and do affect the outside world. We sing a closing Peace song almost every Sunday at the CSLs I have attended. “Let peace begin with me.” We might feel overwhelmed and helpless about affecting the chance for world peace, yet we are always at choice and can become more loving, peaceful people. And I know we can affect others by our living example.
 
Here are some of the ways I have found that can help with a daily peace practice.
​

Recentering myself every morning helps me immeasurably. Feeling the serenity that I can always find within myself helps me broadcast more peace into the world. I often listen to centering music and then contemplate a mantra for example, Be Still and Know, or any that helps my peaceful vibe as I am in the Silence. I also listen to guided meditations on peace. Here are a couple meditations I recommend.
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=KBKmhUJFoUc&t=11s
10 Powerful Mantras for Peace: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhAG_r5P7vQ
​

https://www.brooklynbowl.com/blog/detail/15amazingsongs-that-symbolize-world-peace
​​

I highly recommend both of these books:
Peace is Every Step, Thich Nat Hanh
The Peacemaker’s Path, Jerry Zehr

Let’s not forget to be grateful. Today I am Incredibly thankful for the high vibrations of love, peace and joy washing over my spirit, mind and body. Thank you, Life!

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today, ah
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace, you
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world, you
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
​And the world will live as one.

​One of the things I especially love so much about this song is how Lennon speaks of the world living as one. Will that be possible in my lifetime? I pray it will be. I am positive that we are so much more alike then different. What if we found other ways of dealing with each other than killing? I don’t pretend to know the answers, and I continue to Pray Peace for myself and the whole world every single day.
​

This month, I am offering short prayer treatments
for whatever you wish me to pray for. These are very potent. Email me if you are interested in receiving a prayer by phone or WhatsApp.
​

Let’s broadcast more light, love and peace.
 
Love and Profound Peace, Deborah, Gratitude Gal
​

“All things are linked with one another, and this oneness is sacred.”

Thich Nat Hanh​

FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2025:

​This Thing Called You by Ernest Holmes

What’s in the Way is the Way by Mary O’Malley

Spirit Wheel: Meditations from an Indigenous Elder, Stephen Charleston

The Greatest Secret by Rhonda Byrne

Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver

The Pivot Year by Brianna West

Soul Boom by Rainn Wilson

Journey to the Heart by Melody Beattie
Freedom from Discord by David Alexander

Living with Joy by Sanaya Roman

Learning to Trust Yourself by Tama Kieves

FAVORITE SPIRITUAL MUSIC:

Snatam Kaur, Sam Garrett and Band, Rickie Byars, Karen Drucker, Jami Lula, Faith Rivera, Anton Mizerak, Steven Halpern.

FAVORITE MEDITATIONS:

Everything by Jess Heslop All is Well by Gabrielle Bernstein Joe Dispenza meditations 

OTHER LIFECHANGING AUTHORS ALWAYS RECOMMENDED:

Michael A. Singer, Tara Brach, Pema Chodren, Michael B. Beckwith, Mark Nepo

2026 Prayer
​
There is One Life, One Presence, One Love, moving through everything and everyone, stretching out to the farthest reaches of the universe upon universe. It is in the tiniest microcosms and in the vastest macrocosms. It is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniactive. This Presence permeates all. It is
love, it is peace, it is plenty, it is harmony, unity, wellbeing, wisdom, caring and compassion.
 
I know that I am One with this Presence, and that all are one with this Presence.
 
So, I speak my word for all of us. I know that we, as humanity, are awakening to what has always been true: that we belong to one another, that we all arise from the same Source, and that love is the deepest law of our being. Peace prevails, harmony prevails, compassion does prevail, despite any appearances to the contrary.
 
We are absolutely connected and united as One and as the New Year unfolds, we stand stronger in this deep connection. We feel it, we know it, we are it! We are united in love.
 
And I easily release any and all attachment to how this awakening unfolds, trusting the intelligence of Life itself.
 
Thank you, Spirit, for your Life which is my life; for your Life which is in all and through all. I give great thanks for the Truth that is already so.
 
And so it is.
 
Deborah Perdue
 
I wish all of us a peaceful, harmonious year, filled with our dreams coming true, with health, joy, prosperity and peace prevailing everywhere.

Great Books on Acceptance:
Books on acceptance include The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown, as well as works based on Buddhist principles such as Tara Brach’s Radical Acceptance. Michael A. Singer wrote two fabulous books on surrender and letting go, which tie in perfectly to this theme: The Surrender Experiment and The Unthethered Soul.
​

Recommended Meditations:
from Eckart Tolle 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZV4akmnwmY

from Tara Brach
​ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-40Tgg07J9A

Inspiring Songs
I Allow, I Surrender from Karen Drucker: ​
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kg2Q-KyhxY

Letting Go 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_7XIKVgRGY
​

Remember, everyone, acceptance brings peace. When we stop resisting and simply allow life to unfold, grace flows in. Each moment becomes a doorway to gratitude and calm. Wishing you ease, trust, and deep gratitude—from my heart to yours.
​

“When I say yes to what is, it feels
like a space opens up around 
whatever the experience is that’s 
vast enough to contain it, whether 
it’s difficult or glorious or absolutely 
mundane—but the mundane as a 
portal to the sublime.”
                                                                         Mirabai Starr

Gratitude Reflection on Acceptance
“The truth is, everything will be okay as soon as you are okay with everything.”
Michael A. Singer

I am utterly and ever thankful for my acceptance of things
beyond my own control.

And I realize there is nothing is in my control except for me!

Well-being and deep peace reside within me, always accessible when I enter the silence and listen.

​I celebrate knowing that all is okay, because I am okay.
So grateful.
Deborah Perdue, 9/20/25
​

Free Gifts
for Those Outside of the United States!.
​I will send Grace of Gratitude Reflections books to the first 10 people who reply. Please include your mailing address.

Here are some ideas to bolster your self-love:

SPEAK KINDLY TO YOURSELF letting
compassion replace criticism.
 
SET HEALTHY BOUNDARIES by saying yes to what uplifts you and no to what depletes you.
 
NOURISH YOUR BODY WITH LOVE—rest
well, move with joy, and eat what gives you energy and vitality.
 
GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF TIME TO PLAY AND RELAX 

MIRROR WORK
Mirror work, popularized by Louise Hay, is the daily practice of looking into your own eyes and speaking affirmations of love. It helps reframe negative thoughts, build confidence, and foster a more compassionate relationship with yourself.

WRITE YOURSELF A LOVE LETTER
Begin with Dear (your name) and write all the qualities you love and celebrate about yourself. Let it be long, detailed, and heartfelt—then read it weekly and add more as they come to mind. Remember, you are precious to Spirit, and you can even imagine what Spirit would say to you. Decorate your letter if you wish, and mail it to yourself for a beautiful reminder on the very day you may need it most.

LISTEN TO MEDITATIONS TO AMPLIFY LOVING YOURSELF
​
Enjoy these soothing meditations by Jess Heslop:
Morning Self-LoveMeditation for Lasting Change:
https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WcIMxqql3gI&t=312s
Self Love Affirmations – Reprogram Your Mind While You Sleep:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eU3nHz_ e34&t=23083s
 
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN INSPIRING SONGS ABOUT SELF LOVE

Brighten your day and listen! Search for others on YouTube.
Gentle with Myself by Karen Drucker
https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=uZTRWQV36BQ
I Love Myself So Much by Rickie Byars: https://www.youtube.com watch?v=hpCWs9UQCj4

I am so thankful for all the ways I nurture my body, mind and spirit. My adult life has been a journey towards loving myself more, and I see great progress.
 
I honor myself, I respect myself, I truly love me. It feels so good and this love expands exponentially.
 
                                Deborah Perdue

SURPRISE GIVEAWAY!
Just reply to this email to be added and entered in the contest. I will send a gratitude gift to the first three people who respond. Please include your mailing address.
 
U.S. and Canada subscribers only due to exhorhibant shipping charges internationally.

​Try Daily Meditation, even for just 5 minutes. And meditation can be done in different ways than you may think about: walking meditation, or even meditating while doing chores. There is no right or wrong, eventually extend the time longer if it feels good to you.
​
Join a meditation group. I have felt many times the joined power of meditation is mighty.

Enjoy quiet nature walks. If you look around while in the silence, you can feel our sacred connection with plants, trees and all creatures of this earth.

Contemplative reading. Read inspiring passages about interconnection and harmony. Rumi, Mary Oliver, the Tao Te Ching are a few. Be sure to read slowly, and then take time to ponder their wisdom.

Read spiritual books, perhaps a few pages each day. Here are a few that are amazingly powerful. The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer,
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Listen to meditations on Oneness. Download a free app called Insight Timer or explore YouTube for thousands of choices.

Immerse yourself in spiritual music. Let it instill the feeling of Oneness in you. Look up sacred music on YouTube. Often I listen to Deep Theta by Steven Halpern when meditating.

Attend silent retreats, kirtan chanting, or sacred circles.
Gratitude Practice: Give thanks to the invisible web of support around you (sun, water, soil, sky).

Sacred Pause: At random moments, pause. Feel the moment. Let it be enough.
​
Service: Helping others with compassion often brings a sense of unity.
​
Feeling the oneness of life is not about transcending reality—it’s about entering it fully. The sacred is not distant; it pulses in your breath, the breeze on your skin, and the stillness behind your thoughts. Take time each day to appreciate the miracle of life.

Oneness Reflection
​
“The wisdom and beauty of Infinite Love & Gratitude is all around you and within you, in the essence of your soul’s longing
to experience life.”
Darren Weissman
 
Everywhere I look is a part of me, and I am a part of everything too.
 
If I ever feel alone or lonely, I can take comfort in this fact, and shift to joy and peace.
 
I am thankful, so thankful, for connection,
for unity, for the vast and infinite Oneness that we are each an essential, precious, unique part of.
 
For me, it doesn’t get much better than realizing how true this is, and reminding myself through the power of constant appreciation.
 
Deborah Perdue

FREE GIFTS
Enter to Win a Book!
This month, I am giving out five books, to the first five people who reply. Please include your mailing address. (U.S. Subscribers only due to Int’l shipping costs.)
 
Wishing you an amazing August filled with love and light, peace and joy!
Deborah, Gratitude Gal

​How grateful I am to be truly free! 
​
I celebrate freedom in so many ways in my life: freedom to express myself; the freedom to live life how I want to live it; freedom to enjoy inner peace no matter what; freedom to be joyful, to be lighthearted, to be silly; freedom to love and care and lavish my love toward others and to me; freedom to stay strong in my spiritual beliefs, that help me to navigate unknown territories; freedom to stretch my boundaries and to explore . . .
 
Most of all, I appreciate my free will that is God-given. I am free to make choices in every minute of my life.
 
And when it appears I am not as free as I would like, I affirm my absolute independence and
I am thankful.
​
​ Deborah Perdue
​

​There are many instances of people incarcerated who used the time to educate themselves and better themselves while in prison.
 
Because we truly are the captains of our ships, we can choose to be scared and fearful, or take a higher road realizing that we can’t be chained because each of us is autonomous and at choice in every moment. I find this so comforting.
When I choose to be grateful, no matter the challenges I not only help myself, I help others by showing a way to more freedom.
 
In 2025, I find the news very troubling when I listen to it. It seems that our freedoms are
being threatened. I face that fact, and then turn off the TV and use some of my spiritual tools to offset feeling trapped. There are Positive News Apps that show all the good going on all over the world; meditation and prayer time always help lift my mood, and beautiful music also soothes my soul. Walks in nature heal me.
Talking to caring friends help. Taking action like participating in political rallies helps me feel more free and not alone.

The Divine Plan is one of Freedom. The inherent nature of man is ever seeking to express itself in terms
of freedom, because freedom is the birthright of every living soul.”
​
Ernest Holmes

FREE GIFTS

Enter to Win a Book!
​
This month, I am giving out five books, to the first five people who reply. Please include your mailing address. (U.S. Subscribers only due to Int’l shipping costs.)

I am so thankful for a profusion of flowers in May. If the flowers bloom for their own joy, as Oscar Wilde proclaims, then their joy expands as lots of us so appreciate their beauty and flamboyance. They know exactly when to flower, and where I live, each morning brings a delightful new surprise blossom.

We can also bloom in joy! And when we do, filled with exuberance and our own unique beauty, we spread more love and joy in the world. What a gift.

I am extremely grateful for the seasons of nature, for happiness and smiles, and for our own journeys towards more joy, harmony and peace. Deborah Perdue, 6/27/25

Miracles, Magic & Manifestations Zoom Fun!

Brighten up your summer with our exciting new Zoom series!
​
Inspired by the transformative power of her own affirmation, “I am Grateful for Miracles, Magic & Manifestations,” Deborah Perdue, RScP, invites you to join her for three interactive online workshops. Together, we’ll explore the secrets of discovering miracles, creating magic, and unlocking abundance in our everyday lives. Reply to this email to find out more. Join us!

Here are some I have created just for you:

Joy is an inside job. I own it and I enjoy it.

So grateful for the all of the abundant joys of life. I reflect on them every day, and savor each one.

As I grow in joy and gratitude, I bless the world with my thoughts and actions.

I joyfully let go of anything not serving me.
It’s so easy.

From Sanaya Romans’ book:

I laugh and play. I have a smile in my heart.
​
My heart is like a sun that nurtures all life
with love.

I open to receive more love, joy and abundance.

Spread more happiness with beautiful Joy cards
(shown, left), with original illustration by Tara
Thelen. Just reply to this email to be added and entered in the contest.
​
This month, I will give out three sets of cards, to three people who reply. Please include your mailing address. (U.S. Subscribers only due to Int’l shipping costs.)

​In a search on amazon, I tried to find the author whose book I read that promoted this idea. I was unable to find her, yet I found out that there are many journals and books promoting being grateful in advance. You don’t really need a book though. Just a pen and paper. When I first heard the idea, I wrote a new letter every single day!
Now I write a letter about once a week, and read it almost every morning to let it sink in deeper. The author I read started her letters with “Dear CSO” (Chief Spiritual Operator). That makes me smile.
 
A similar idea is to make a Vision Board that you can look at all the time. Create it with pictures
of things you would like to manifest in your life, using magazine or web pictures or you can even draw pictures. On your Vision Board, you could put, for example, travel photos to faraway lands (if that tickles your fancy); a new partner/love in your life, or whatever you imagine for yourself! Once, when I was wishing to lose weight, I used a woman in a yoga pose with a body I really liked, and placed my own head on it instead of hers. I looked at her every day, and envisioned myself that way, and was able to lose weight. You could put qualities you would like more of in your life, such as Joy or Inner Peace. If it’s self love, you could put a picture of a person hugging him or her self, for instance. A Vision Board is a visual letter to the Universe, showing what you would like to see down the road. Be creative and have fun!

“Look closely at the present you are constructing; it should look like the future you are dreaming.”
​ Alice Walker

How completely grateful I am to watch what I am dreaming come to fruition.

There is such power in knowing we can manifest what we desire, if we don’t hang it up with conflicting thoughts, or a belief
that we don’t deserve.

I firmly believe in the potential of visualizing and visioning, and I delight in watching
as Life says an enthusiastic YES!

Deborah Perdue
from Daily Gratitude Reflections Vol. 2

SONGS & MEDITATIONS TO ENJOY!
Remember Your Future, Dr. Joe Dispenza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYfWkKGSZU0

Grateful, A Love Song to the World by Nimo/Daniel Nahmod:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO2o98Zpzg8
​
5 Min. Guided Meditation/The Future You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHlXMt82P_E​
​

Keep a gratitude journal:
Regularly reflect on the things you are grateful for. https://www.graceofgratitude.com/store/c2/
Retail_%26_eBooks.html

​Share your gratitude:
Express your appreciation to others.

Use affirmations:
These are from a book by Sanaya Roman titled
Living in Joy. You can also create your own.

I choose to live joyfully.

The joy of my innermost being
shines through me.

I am free to be around joyful people, and I am!

Remember to play!
Dance and move your bod! Play with kids or your
dog or kitty, they are always up for it. Sing in the
shower! Sing in a choir! Laugh for no reason!

Listen to your favorite music.
Here is a song by Karen Drucker on Joy
you may enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5i_CT-
Dc2kM&list=PL8qLMZTl40ueRy58yjlwO-
QL7DoN7AKvtH&index=11

Listen to positive meditations:
Here is an all-time favorite by Gabby Bernstein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-
gjpZuGvNuA

Happy April to my Gratitude Tribe.
Remember, joy is an inside job. Let’s
create it for ourselves and shine it out to
the world. Keep the faith!
Love and Light, Deborah, Gratitude Gal

Blissed and Blessed
​​
I just can’t be in a bad mood when feeling grateful. It’s impossible, really. I’ve had someone challenge me in a Gratitude Workshop I facilitated when I stated that one can’t be unhappy or mad when thankful. She disagreed emphatically. In retrospect, I wish I had handed her my Grace of Gratitude Journal for her to write in regularly, and then checked in with her later. :)
 
For me, gratitude transforms my life in amazing, beneficial ways! I started this practice in 2012 and have been going strong ever since.
 
I am grateful for my happy, joyful heart! And for sharing the superpower of gratitude with others.
May it transform your life as it has mine.
 
Thank you, Universe, for providing infinite opportunities to appreciate!
 
Deborah Perdue, 6/26/24
 
Note: I will be offering a 2 hour zoom workshop on Jumpstarting Your Joy. It wil be on a Saturday in late April or early May. Let me know if you are interested. Would love to have you join us.

I am blessed to be living in the forest in Oregon.
It gives me a chance to walk in nature, to immerse myself in it every single day. Taking a Gratitude Stroll is highly recommended. Be quiet and with every step, feel the gratitude for beautiful nature and for life in general! And if
you aren’t blessed to live right in nature, go to a city park to enjoy the beauty all around.

There are some beautiful gratitude meditations: Here are a couple I highly recommend: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2UdK96JpnU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfD4HaBBc0I

Write in a Gratitude Journal – 
www.graceofgratitude.com
(truly gorgeous journals!)
Beginners: start out by listing 5 things you are grateful for every day. Do this for 40 days and your life will improve dramatically. Then, keep going after the 40 days so it becomes a beneficial habit. If you already write in a journal, consider writing paragraphs about each thing, rather than making a short list.

​To be in a grateful state of mind helps in so many
ways: health-wise, joy-wise, sharing positivity with others. It helps our emotional health as well as our physical health. I have found through many years of experience that I just cannot be stressed out if I’m counting my blessings.

There are many songs about being thankful. Karen Drucker is the queen of gratitude. These three songs will uplift you, I promise: 
​
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL0hWvzZr8g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YO2SaBeEf8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdQ_ GPc0OsM

There are zillions of spiritual books to uplift you. Here is one graittude author who is amazing and inspiring! Will Pye lives his life in true thankfulness. He wrote a wonderful book,
The Gratitude Prescription. He also wrote Blessed with a Brain Tumor. Talk about radical gratitiude!He found reasons to feel thankful for brain cancer, and this book is chock-full of wisdom.

We meet on the 3rd Monday of each month,
studying Daily Gratitude Reflections Vol 2 together for 2025. Still time to join. Contact me if you are interested. We’d love to have you.