Reflections On Gratitude

For most of the people that I know, the month of November is one that is filled with times of giving thanks, chances to acknowledge our blessings, and moments of reflection on the good things that have happened all throughout the last year.  Sentiments of gratitude can be seen all around and are constantly reminding us to hug our family members, make time for our old friends, and let go of past regrets and grudges.  While most will agree that these things are very important, the true concept of gratitude and thankfulness may seem to be overlooked.  Why is this act of saying thank you, then, such an integral part of our life and what benefit does it provide us?

Oprah Winfrey once said “Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.”  While this line of thinking may seem backwards to some, it couldn’t ring more true.  If we think of our lives as a place for growth, like a garden, this is easy to illustrate.  As we go through our days and weeks and months, people in our lives are sowing seeds into the ground of our hearts, both higher level energy seeds and then some less than aligned energy seeds…. Higher level seeds may be in the form of encouragements, education, friendships, gifts, etc.  Less than aligned seeds, on the other hand, could be things such as criticisms, discouragements, and arguments.  While we may not be able to control the quality of the seeds that blow through our garden and land in our soil, we are the master of what is left to grow and what is removed.  We do this with our focus.

If we constantly focus on the things that seem less than aligned, or on what we do not have, we are administering care to the seeds of lower level energy. This makes them grow and thrive, choking out other things attempting to grow in the same space.  On the other hand, if we choose to focus on the positive things, with a heart of gratitude, these will be the seeds that take a strong root and grow greatly.

While having a month dedicated to thanksgiving is a wonderful idea and it is a great feeling to embrace this time wholeheartedly, keeping this attitude and focus all year long is a great intention! The easiest way to do this is to evaluate ourselves daily and make small changes when we seem to begin to lose our grateful heart. It may sound simple but intend  to grab  every opportunity to smile instead of frown, give instead of take, and see life through the eyes of Spirit whenever you can!

This quote sums it all up from author Melody Beattie.  She said, “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.”