Gratitude - What A Gift!
No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the Kingdom of night. ~ Elie Wiesel
Gratitude is an amazing gift that we can and should utilize often. Gratitude adjusts our vision and it adjusts our purpose and desires in life. Gratitude brings a lift to a downtrodden spirit as one feels encouraged by the mere fact that one can indeed be thankful for something.
I have a note book sitting in the middle of our kitchen table and have numbered the lines from 1 to 1000, after which I simply put “and more.” I strive to teach my children that we have so much and I encourage them to write in this notebook the things for which they are thankful for. I don’t insist on a daily entry but I will gently remind them after a number of days have gone by, to think about the things they appreciate in their lives. It is amazing just how effective this has been. I often write in it myself because I value the importance of this principle.
Gratitude of heart is a wonderful habit to develop. We in America and the Western world in general, live in such a prosperous country that even those who are considered poor among us still have an abundance in comparison to so many people around our globe who are truly considered poor. Elbert Hubbard once said: “I would rather be able to appreciate things I can not have than have things I am not able to appreciate.” I notice in my children that they often seem to appreciate a thing more while they desire and wish for it - yet, once it is owned, it is all too easy to simply take it for granted and even neglect it much of the time.
As we go through the “night seasons” in our lives, it is good to remember our blessings and to whisper a loving and thoughtful “thank you.” “Gratitude is the heart’s memory,” a French proverb tells us so beautifully. I find this to be so true and so meaningful because when we are truly grateful for someone or something, it has become part of us, it has become part of our very heart.
Of course, one is thankful for the home they live in, good vehicles to drive, and plenty of nutritious food to eat. Certainly one is thankful for jobs and financial gain in order to make a more comfortable life. But when I think of gratitude, other things come to mind as well:
I think of a sound mind and good health. I think of meaningful friendships and the laughter of our children. I think of husbands and wives who love and support each other no matter what their circumstances. I think of siblings who have known one another all their lives and the support and strength that relationship can bring. I think of parents and grandparents who have often sacrificed much in order to bring their children stability in this life. I think of integrity and honesty of character, which brings enormous personal power into ones life. It then aids us in making our choices in this life.
I think of the freedom we have to choose any belief system we desire and the freedom we have to worship God precisely as we see fit, openly with out fear of reprisal of any kind. I think of the gift we have to reach out in love in order to bring some healing to others. Yes, I even think of pain and losses as I realize that it shapes humans into who they are, and can often give us the grace needed of seeking higher meaning and a greater purpose in life.
Most of all, I think about our hunger for God Himself. A force that is so powerful and so strong that the mystery of Him who created us brings us into realms of possibilities never before imagined. It is in devotion to Him that He gives us glimpses of all that can be. In our gratitude for His beauty and for life itself, all fear seems to be dispelled and the abundance of possibilities emerges within us.
Gratitude, oh what a gift!
