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Gratitude
The power of gratitude
When we take the time to be grateful, we draw into our lives what is needed to feel at peace, happy and strengthened against all that is negative.
It is the power of this positive thought pattern that creates the positive experiences.
Be grateful and create a life of abundance of peace and of happiness, mind body and spirit.
Everything that happens in your life has meaning, good, bad and indifferent. We need to appreciate the experience. We need to learn from it.
If we are given a chance to learn only positive lessons we will not understand others as they learn tough negative ones.
We need to know how to feel love through loss, to know what love feels like at all.
We need to learn happiness through sadness, to know what it feels like to be happy.
When I was a little girl I lost my favorite teacher, my aunt Sophie. She was a lovely kind and intelligent woman.
I spent as much time as I could near her, I loved learning anything she was willing to teach.
Just sitting quietly in her living room, I learned. She was so patient with me, teaching me to sew, to clean ,to cook , to be artistic, to speak clearly, to listen to love deeply, to be honorable, and most of all to be honest.
One day when I arrived at her house and she asked to me to run to the store for her, it was near enough that I could run and be back in 15 minutes.
She asked for milk and vinegar as we were baking pies that day.
She gave me $5.00. This was 1977 and in that time that was more than enough money to buy both items and plenty more. She was by no means a wealthy woman and five dollars to her was a lot of money, and to me a whole lot more.
I went to the store and bought her items, and I also bought a 25 cent candy bar for myself and walked back slowly to eat it all before I arrived. Instantly after leaving the store I felt something I never felt before. I was scared; I did not know how to tell her that I took the money without asking. I was nervous, and my stomach started getting sore and upset, partly because I was 9 and ate a whole Mr. Big chocolate bar in 3 minutes.
I felt sad enough that I started to cry. I remember that as I got closer to her house I felt like being sick, and my stomach cramps were so bad that I had a hard time walking the rest of the way. Normally I would have run and been back in a flash.
I arrived at her house and she immediately came to me, taking the items and tossing them on the kitchen table, asking me what was wrong, why I was crying, what had happened. Where was I hurt?
I began to sob, and feel so bad as I looked into her eyes. I was sick all over her kitchen floor. I was now even more scared, not only did I have to tell that I stole the money to buy candy, but I also ruined her perfectly clean kitchen.
My anxiety reached the peek and she tried to calm me down. This all happened in slow motion to me, but probably was a matter of 5 minutes in total
She sent me to the bathroom to clean up and she cleaned the kitchen. I stopped crying and decided I would tell her I lost the .25 cents on the walk home and I was upset to tell her.
When I came out of the bathroom I proceeded to tell her my made up story, and she looked at me with eyes I had never seen before. Sadness replaced the loving beauty that was there for me each day.
Aunt Sophie turned away from me facing the sink and asked me. “Are you sure you lost the money Sharon”. I stopped a second before answering her and I answered no.
She turned around with that look in her eyes again, the one that I loved so much and said "My little papoose, (that was her nickname for me) If you lie to me you will only be lying to yourself, so always tell me the truth so we can trust each other at the toughest of times”. Words I will never forget.
I started to cry and tell her that I took the money and bought a chocolate bar, and that I was sick because I ate it all and tried to run home after eating it.
She laughed at my story and out of her pocket came the wrapper that I had put back into the bag with the milk and vinegar. She said she knew what happened when I was in the bathroom, and that she hoped I would be honest with her and not become one of those people in her life that she would always worry about as to whether or not truth was being told.
She hugged me and told me that I would have to work for the money I used and so I did. I learned so much from her, to be a good, honest hard working woman, and to know that in loss and in pain there are lessons to be grateful for. She passed away when I was 12. The news came and I was so saddened, but I knew in my heart she would live on forever.
I took her gifts and her lessons and to this day honor her with the teachings I carry forward for her. I have taught many people the lessons she had taught me, and for this I am grateful for the lessons she provided.
My teacher, my aunt, my angel forever, in my heart and in
my spirit you are always there.
I am grateful for the gifts I have received from spirit.
I am grateful for all that I am able to learn.
To educate one's self for the feeling of gratitude, means to take nothing for granted. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude. Know that all that you do and receive deserves gratitude. The thought alone draws positive energy to you.
Studies have shown that love-related qualities—like gratitude—actually make us physically healthier.
Gratitude: the breakdown of the terms and how they affect each of us. Use meditation to draw yourself into a feeling of true gratitude. This can be done in a few minutes at the beginning or end of your day. These are the results you can experience through this self loving gift.
1. Defends
Just 15 minutes a day focusing on the things you're grateful for will significantly increase your body's natural antibodies.
2. Sharpens
Naturally grateful people are more focused mentally and measurably less vulnerable to clinical depression.
3. Calms
A grateful state of mind induces a physiological state called resonance that's associated with healthier blood pressure and heart rate.
4. Strengthens
Caring for others is draining. But grateful caregivers are healthier and more capable than less grateful ones.
5. Heals
Recipients of donated organs who have the most grateful attitudes heal faster.
Be grateful for what you have, and learn to appreciate all that will change in the future
I wish I had her hair, his car, their house. Why isn't my kid as smart, my wardrobe as stylish, my job as glamorous as So and so. We all have these thoughts to some degree. Shira Boss, author of Green with Envy, says its part of North American culture "to want to do better than your parents, better than last year, better than your neighbors."
A little comparison with others is healthy. It can spur us to make more positive choices for ourselves. You might want to hit the gym more often after admiring your friend's trim physique, for instance. But constantly trying to outdo your peers can put you in the hole—financially and spiritually. So how do you keep your comparing in check?
1. Consider your motivation.
Whatever improvements you're making to your life, make sure you're doing it for you, not to impress other people. “Live your You”.
2. Be grateful for your gifts.
"The key is to appreciate your own uniqueness and abilities," says psychologist Celeste Gertson, Ph.D. Get your friends' and family's input and make a list of the attributes you've been blessed with. Keep it handy for those times you feel "less than."
I am grateful for my beauty, for my strength, for my kindness, for my friends.
3. Set your own standards.
Base them on your skills, interests and ambitions. "You must learn to think independently, and be mindful of what is suitable for you regardless of what the rest of the world says," says organizational psychologist Edwin Locke, Ph.D.
4. Value your own good judgment.
Look back on the smart decisions you've made and things you have accomplished in the past, and remind yourself of your worth. With a little practice, you will find that nobody compares to you!
Being grateful means you appreciate all that you have, all that you see, feel and experience in a way that leaves you feeling blessed.
Live a life of gratitude and you are living free.
The power of gratitude
When we take the time to be grateful, we draw into our lives what is needed to feel at peace, happy and strengthened against all that is negative.
It is the power of this positive thought pattern that creates the positive experiences.
Be grateful and create a life of abundance of peace and of happiness, mind body and spirit.
Everything that happens in your life has meaning, good, bad and indifferent. We need to appreciate the experience. We need to learn from it.
If we are given a chance to learn only positive lessons we will not understand others as they learn tough negative ones.
We need to know how to feel love through loss, to know what love feels like at all.
We need to learn happiness through sadness, to know what it feels like to be happy.
When I was a little girl I lost my favorite teacher, my aunt Sophie. She was a lovely kind and intelligent woman.
I spent as much time as I could near her, I loved learning anything she was willing to teach.
Just sitting quietly in her living room, I learned. She was so patient with me, teaching me to sew, to clean ,to cook , to be artistic, to speak clearly, to listen to love deeply, to be honorable, and most of all to be honest.
One day when I arrived at her house and she asked to me to run to the store for her, it was near enough that I could run and be back in 15 minutes.
She asked for milk and vinegar as we were baking pies that day.
She gave me $5.00. This was 1977 and in that time that was more than enough money to buy both items and plenty more. She was by no means a wealthy woman and five dollars to her was a lot of money, and to me a whole lot more.
I went to the store and bought her items, and I also bought a 25 cent candy bar for myself and walked back slowly to eat it all before I arrived. Instantly after leaving the store I felt something I never felt before. I was scared; I did not know how to tell her that I took the money without asking. I was nervous, and my stomach started getting sore and upset, partly because I was 9 and ate a whole Mr. Big chocolate bar in 3 minutes.
I felt sad enough that I started to cry. I remember that as I got closer to her house I felt like being sick, and my stomach cramps were so bad that I had a hard time walking the rest of the way. Normally I would have run and been back in a flash.
I arrived at her house and she immediately came to me, taking the items and tossing them on the kitchen table, asking me what was wrong, why I was crying, what had happened. Where was I hurt?
I began to sob, and feel so bad as I looked into her eyes. I was sick all over her kitchen floor. I was now even more scared, not only did I have to tell that I stole the money to buy candy, but I also ruined her perfectly clean kitchen.
My anxiety reached the peek and she tried to calm me down. This all happened in slow motion to me, but probably was a matter of 5 minutes in total
She sent me to the bathroom to clean up and she cleaned the kitchen. I stopped crying and decided I would tell her I lost the .25 cents on the walk home and I was upset to tell her.
When I came out of the bathroom I proceeded to tell her my made up story, and she looked at me with eyes I had never seen before. Sadness replaced the loving beauty that was there for me each day.
Aunt Sophie turned away from me facing the sink and asked me. “Are you sure you lost the money Sharon”. I stopped a second before answering her and I answered no.
She turned around with that look in her eyes again, the one that I loved so much and said "My little papoose, (that was her nickname for me) If you lie to me you will only be lying to yourself, so always tell me the truth so we can trust each other at the toughest of times”. Words I will never forget.
I started to cry and tell her that I took the money and bought a chocolate bar, and that I was sick because I ate it all and tried to run home after eating it.
She laughed at my story and out of her pocket came the wrapper that I had put back into the bag with the milk and vinegar. She said she knew what happened when I was in the bathroom, and that she hoped I would be honest with her and not become one of those people in her life that she would always worry about as to whether or not truth was being told.
She hugged me and told me that I would have to work for the money I used and so I did. I learned so much from her, to be a good, honest hard working woman, and to know that in loss and in pain there are lessons to be grateful for. She passed away when I was 12. The news came and I was so saddened, but I knew in my heart she would live on forever.
I took her gifts and her lessons and to this day honor her with the teachings I carry forward for her. I have taught many people the lessons she had taught me, and for this I am grateful for the lessons she provided.
My teacher, my aunt, my angel forever, in my heart and in
my spirit you are always there.
I am grateful for the gifts I have received from spirit.
I am grateful for all that I am able to learn.
To educate one's self for the feeling of gratitude, means to take nothing for granted. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude. Know that all that you do and receive deserves gratitude. The thought alone draws positive energy to you.
Studies have shown that love-related qualities—like gratitude—actually make us physically healthier.
Gratitude: the breakdown of the terms and how they affect each of us. Use meditation to draw yourself into a feeling of true gratitude. This can be done in a few minutes at the beginning or end of your day. These are the results you can experience through this self loving gift.
1. Defends
Just 15 minutes a day focusing on the things you're grateful for will significantly increase your body's natural antibodies.
2. Sharpens
Naturally grateful people are more focused mentally and measurably less vulnerable to clinical depression.
3. Calms
A grateful state of mind induces a physiological state called resonance that's associated with healthier blood pressure and heart rate.
4. Strengthens
Caring for others is draining. But grateful caregivers are healthier and more capable than less grateful ones.
5. Heals
Recipients of donated organs who have the most grateful attitudes heal faster.
Be grateful for what you have, and learn to appreciate all that will change in the future
I wish I had her hair, his car, their house. Why isn't my kid as smart, my wardrobe as stylish, my job as glamorous as So and so. We all have these thoughts to some degree. Shira Boss, author of Green with Envy, says its part of North American culture "to want to do better than your parents, better than last year, better than your neighbors."
A little comparison with others is healthy. It can spur us to make more positive choices for ourselves. You might want to hit the gym more often after admiring your friend's trim physique, for instance. But constantly trying to outdo your peers can put you in the hole—financially and spiritually. So how do you keep your comparing in check?
1. Consider your motivation.
Whatever improvements you're making to your life, make sure you're doing it for you, not to impress other people. “Live your You”.
2. Be grateful for your gifts.
"The key is to appreciate your own uniqueness and abilities," says psychologist Celeste Gertson, Ph.D. Get your friends' and family's input and make a list of the attributes you've been blessed with. Keep it handy for those times you feel "less than."
I am grateful for my beauty, for my strength, for my kindness, for my friends.
3. Set your own standards.
Base them on your skills, interests and ambitions. "You must learn to think independently, and be mindful of what is suitable for you regardless of what the rest of the world says," says organizational psychologist Edwin Locke, Ph.D.
4. Value your own good judgment.
Look back on the smart decisions you've made and things you have accomplished in the past, and remind yourself of your worth. With a little practice, you will find that nobody compares to you!
Being grateful means you appreciate all that you have, all that you see, feel and experience in a way that leaves you feeling blessed.
Live a life of gratitude and you are living free.
Photo by Tammy Gould Photography