The Spiritual Warrior: Life Without Armor

Luna is all grown up now at 46 pounds and every pound full of love and gratitude. Stephen Grinstead

Luna is really growing. Almost 17 pounds now and will be 12 weeks old on Saturday.

A very awesome V-Blog for Gratitude Day (aka Thanksgiving Day). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Dr Steve Grinstead

How to feel God’s presence through gratitude If you’re ever wondering how to feel more of God’s presence, start with gratitude! Gratitude is the open door from where you are to the presence of abundance...

A Spiritual Warrior Expresses And Shares Gratitude

I truly believe we can either see the connections, celebrate them, and express gratitude for our blessings, or we can see life as a string of coincidences that have no meaning or connection. For me, I'm going to believe in miracles, celebrate life, rejoice in the views of eternity, and hope my choices will create a positive ripple effect in the lives of others. This is my choice.
Mike Ericksen

When I’m feeling down or disconnected with my fellow travelers on this Spiritual Journey in the Mortal Realm I have a choice to suffer or shift into love and gratitude. This is also true when FEAR becomes the driving emotion instead of LOVE. When I read Mike Ericksen’s words this morning it helped me make a shift and I wanted to share that with others. Today on my Spiritual Warrior Journey I will as Mike says “…celebrate life, rejoice in the views of eternity, and hope my choices will create a positive ripple effect in the lives of others.” Gratitude is enough and very much a choice so today I’m choosing to be grateful!
Onward & Upward With Hope & Gratitude,
Dr Steve Grinstead

The Spiritual Warrior Is Wishing You A Happy Gratitude Week – AKA Thanksgiving Week 2021.

Today being Gratitude Week (aka Thanksgiving Week) I wanted to cover my most favorite topic—gratitude. Many years ago, I learned the value of showing up as a contribution instead of a complaint and using gratitude to help me live with chronic pain.

When life gets rough many of us start complaining; at least I know I do. One day I was going on and on to a good friend of mine who, after listening for a while, asked me if I would be willing to make a list of all the things in my life I was grateful for instead of just complaining.

This was especially true for my chronic pain conditions. I was very surprised as I went through this exercise and had about 50 things I was grateful for. I thought it was a great list. My friend didn’t. He asked me to triple that list. At first, I couldn’t understand how I could find that many things to be grateful for, but with his support and coaching I finally did it.

I was amazed that the problems I had been complaining about no longer seemed so bad. He even gave me a bumper sticker that said, “Attitude of Gratitude.” That really helped me make peace with my pain and even at times be grateful for my pain—and no I’m not a ma*****st.

Because it’s Gratitude Week, I want to share with you my Attitude of Gratitude mission. For the past 37 years the word gratitude has taken on a different meaning than it had for me up until that point. In my healing recovery process, I learned that an attitude of gratitude could shift me from anger, fear, guilt, shame, loneliness, hopelessness or any other uncomfortable emotional state into a state of hope and excitement.

Since 1981 I have seen November as Gratitude Month and the week of Thanksgiving as Gratitude Week and Thanksgiving Day as GRATITUDE DAY. So, during this Gratitude Week I once again sat down and made a long list of everything I’m grateful for in my life. This took quite a while as I do have so much to be grateful for.
What I am most grateful for today is my recovery of almost 41 years and my relationship with Ellen, my wife and partner of over 30 years. I make it a point to tell her everyday how grateful I am for her and how much I appreciate her. Many times, she laughingly asks: why am I grateful? When she asks me that question it’s easy to put together my "short list" of 25 reasons I am grateful for. I say short list because there are not enough words to express how grateful I am that Ellen is in my life.

I want to share a story that my Karate Sensei (Teacher) Richard Kim would tell us when we seemed upset or down. He said that when something bad happens say "Thank you adversity for yet another test. If you break a toe, be grateful it wasn’t your foot. If you break your foot, be grateful that it wasn’t your leg. If you break your leg, be grateful you didn’t die. And if you die, be grateful that you don’t have to finish the rest of this grueling class with me."

So today when life happens I need to remember to say thank you for yet another test and learn from it. One of the most challenging life events for me this past decade was a bit over eleven years ago (September 29, 2007) when my father died. As I came out of the shock/denial of his death I had a hard time finding anything to be grateful for around that. Fortunately, I have many recovery support people in my life and I started to get into a lot of gratitude for the time I had with my father; especially the last seven years of his life when we became so much closer.

It was right after Christmas and Ellen was in Chicago with her family and I was really grieving dad’s death. I then decided to go through all my gratitude lists for that year and before I was half way through the year my attitude shifted. Many of my early gratitude list items were about different things I was grateful for in my relationship with Dad.

In 2017 my Mom died in April and I did the same thing and came up with so many things I’m grateful for. I also looked at all the photos I’ve had of mom over the years and keep her memory alive.

This year it's our Love Dog Becka who died a couple of weeks ago and my wife and I did a memorial wall to share all that we were grateful for while she was with us.

So again, this year I’m wishing you all a Happy Gratitude Day (AKA Thanksgiving Day) and hope you can find many things to be grateful for today. No matter what you are experiencing; work hard to acknowledge what you are grateful for. An attitude of gratitude can turn a dismal day into the best day of your life if you let it.
It is impossible to be in gratitude and suffer at the same time — the choice is yours!
Onward & Upward,
Dr Steve Grinstead

A Spiritual Warrior Learns To Turn Adversity Into Opportunity

Adversity introduces a person to him or herself. On the occasion of every accident that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use.
Epictetus

This Epictetus’ quote reminds me of the wisdom my Karate Sensei, Richard Kim, shared with us all the time. He would tell us when life serves us adversity, we have a choice, we could see it as a crisis or an opportunity. He also shared the importance of being grateful for adversity because it would help us achieve our full potential. Today on my Spiritual Warrior Journey I will say thank you adversity for yet another test in memory of Sensei Kim.
Dr Steve Grinstead

A Spiritual Warrior Knows Knowledge Plus Action Leads To Wisdom

The only way to know truly is through practical experiment and experience. Theory and speculation, if they are not followed by trial and demonstration, are useless. . . Knowledge itself is of little or no value if it does not lead to action.
Henry T. Hamblin

I cannot count the number of times I tried to think my way out of a problem by finding good reasons for having the problem. Hamblin’s quote reminds me that knowledge without action is worth little in life. I remember a quote attributed to Khalil Gibran stating, “A little knowledge that acts is worth more than much knowledge that is idle.” Today on my Spiritual Warrior Journey I will follow knowledge with a decision to get into authentic action.
Dr Steve Grinstead

A Spiritual Warrior Strives To Be A Trailblazer

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I saw the Emerson quote it reminded me of lessons my dad taught me while growing up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. He explained about how early settlers depended on people to scout ahead and blaze (mark) the trail so other can follow. Since 1981 I have been striving to blaze a trail for other Spiritual Warriors, so they don’t get lost in the forest. I know how important it was for me to follow other blazed trails until it became time to strike out on my own. Today on my Spiritual Warrior Journey I will make sure the trail I’m blazing will help my Spiritual Warrior Sisters and Brothers find the way on their own journey.
Dr Steve Grinstead

A Spiritual Warrior Strives To Be Humble And Teachable

A humble person is generally well-liked and respected because he or she does not challenge others. When the ego is not attacked, not put on guard, it has a hard time gathering strength to attack another.
Shantidasa

Humble! What an interesting concept. As I read Shantidasa’s quote I remembered my struggles with becoming humble. I confused humility with humiliation and saw being humble as a dangerous thing leaving me vulnerable to attack. Over the years in my Spiritual Warrior Journey I now see being humble as being willing to be teachable. When I perceive being attacked I know it is from Ego and not Spirit. Today on my Spiritual Warrior Journey I will strive to be teachable and humble.
Dr Steve Grinstead

Sometimes we all need a helping hand.
Dr Steve Grinstead

A Spiritual Warrior Realizes The Highest Calling Is To Be Of Service To Others

Everybody can be great. . . because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. . . . You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

As I was doing my Spiritual lessons this morning I was searching for quotes on Love and Service. Of all that came up this Martin Luther King, Jr. quote captured my attention. It reminded me of my earlier life and not feeling I had anything worthwhile to offer the world. That changed when I started my Recovery and Spiritual Warrior Journey in 1981. Today I recognize and acknowledge myself as a Spiritual Healer and today on my Spiritual Warrior Journey I will remember my calling to be of service to all my Spiritual Warrior Sisters and Brothers.
Dr Steve Grinstead

A Spiritual Warrior Knows Gratitude Changes Everything

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie

Gratitude is one of my most favorite topics and when I saw this quote from Melody Beattie, I knew it had to be my focus today. For almost forty years I have been consistently striving to live with an attitude of gratitude. When I am experiencing uncomfortable emotions like fear, anxiety, sadness or anger, I know if I just stop and write down at least ten things I am grateful for right here and right now I immediately start feeling hope and joy. Today on my Spiritual Warrior Journey I will show up with an attitude of gratitude.
Dr Steve Grinstead