As a result of my travels, I’ve come to believe that the state of the world seems to gradually be turning toward the positive. Not long ago, I feared that we were moments from Judgment Day, but things are increasingly looking brighter. Of course, many dire problems still exist, including the over-use of our natural resources as well as pollution, poverty, and rampant wars. However, the more I travel, the more I feel that our consciousness is rising and a “network of hope” is spreading. I’m especially encouraged by the fact that water continues to create such beautiful crystals.

In order to experience that shining beauty in your life, you must live each and every day filled with love and gratitude. The light of a full heart not only brightens your life, but also illuminates the lives of everyone around you. As more and more hearts “light up,” the entire world will brighten and bring us closer to peace.

This isn’t difficult to achieve, and a wonderful example of this is when I visited a school for disabled children in Santiago, Chile, in November 2008. At the center, there were about 20 dogs (mostly golden retrievers) that were always around, and they seemed very fond of the children. Whether the students were playing or sitting quietly at their desks, the dogs were by their sides.

What surprised me the most occurred during nap time: as everyone settled down to rest, the dogs lay beside the children, who actually rested their heads on the dogs’ soft bodies as if they were pillows. And they all fell asleep like that! The dogs didn’t seem to mind and actually appeared quite comfortable. We were amazed, and my wife (who has a weak spot for dogs) joined the children and took a nap there as well.

Later in the day, I was shown the area where the dogs are kept, and everything made sense to me. At the bottom of the tank that held the animals’ drinking water was a picture of the love-and-gratitude crystal. I was told that someone had placed the photo there two years ago, and since then, the dogs seemed calmer, more caring, and even healthier.

Afterward, I was led to a pool where the words love and gratitude were written in Spanish on the pool’s inner wall. With awe in my heart, I returned to the classroom and found the students placing water-crystal photographs on coasters for the guests.

Because dogs and children have pure hearts, they were able to easily take in the energy of love and gratitude. That is a day I’ll never forget, as I have never felt such a positive and happy vibration from a place.