Magnify Gratitude

Today you have a choice to create your own Thanksgiving celebration. It's late summer, I know, but why wait until fall? Adopting a conscious attitude of gratitude can bring increased joy into our lives right this second. What we focus on expands, so why not focus on gratitude? Oft-quoted Meister Eckhart, the medieval Christian mystic, said, "If the only prayer you say in your life is 'thank you,' that would suffice."

Gratitude for what we have makes us appreciate everything even more. If you awaken in the morning and give thanks for the sky, the birds, the air, the wind, the rain, your heart beating, your ability to breathe, the people in your life--the list is endless--you can't help but to step into a more joyous day.

My former husband told me more than once, "It's hard to stay sad when you're in gratitude." He was right. I've tried switching my thoughts to gratitude when sadness gets overwhelming and it works for me. It doesn't eliminate the sadness or its cause, but I've learned that if I take time to observe and feel the sadness, I can then move away from the painful thoughts through that doorway of gratitude. The more things we are thankful for, the more things to be thankful for will show up in our lives.