Can You Feel Grateful Today?
I try to write down one thing every day of what I appreciate. It might be as simple and insignificant as the color of my hair or something more meaningful like the love of my husband or son. The key is to write and read the list every day.
My mentor talks about how others have done this practice and brought a great deal of love and strength to their relationships. She told a story of a couple about to get a divorce when the husband began the journal. The relationship improved and blossomed into the best time of their lives together.
For me, divine intervention directed me to a pile of books I had not looked at in months. I found a small book titled “Gratitude Journal” with several blank pages for writing my thoughts. There I write my appreciation for those challenging people in my life. I highly recommend the process to let go and become aligned with the Universe or God.
We all have challenging people in our lives, be they political figures, neighbors or family members. Try this: Can you write one thing you are grateful for about the challenging person in your life? Could you write one thing every day for two weeks? Read the list every day and see how it makes you feel. I believe showing gratitude is a “super power.” I hope you find it meaningful too.
Today as we look in the face of yet another war, it can be difficult to write about gratitude. So I did some research on it to see what wiser people than me have to say about gratitude:
People only see what they are prepared to see. If you look for what is good and what you can be grateful for you will find it everywhere. Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Count your blessings" is such a common expression that it has become a catchphrase. Yet it contains powerful truth and meaning: Be grateful for what you have - and for what you don't have. Robert W. Bly, Count Your Blessings
In the fast-paced life that we currently live in, it is easy to take the good things in life for granted, and even easier to focus on the bad things. Something as simple as an affirmation saying "I am healthy" in the morning is enough to remind you to be grateful for the good things in your life. Robert Norman, Positive Thinking
If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul. Rabbi Harold Kushner
“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” Author unknown
Psalm 118:24 ESV – This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Find something today to feel grateful for and keep praying for peace.