A friend recently told me someone she knew said she had
nothing to be grateful for. Chills ran down my spine as she said that. The
thought of someone believing she had nothing to be grateful compelled me to
want to write about the importance of gratitude. The simplicity of gratitude
and the abundance of gratitude.
As Iyanla said gratitude is a state of being. It is a part
of our genetic makeup . Who we are. Gratitude is what allows us to open our
heart to possibility because it allows us to see the abundance that is ever-present
in our lives.
Even on our darkest days there is always something to be
grateful for. Practising the art of gratitude has allowed me to make it through
many a dark day, moment or period. Because gratitude allows me to understand
that even the worst moment, the most humiliating moment was there to teach me
how not to be. How to treat others in a way that I want to be treated. To learn
compassion, forgiveness and faith.
I have experienced several life changing moments I thought
were the worst things that could have ever happened to me. But now that I have moved beyond their
pain and suffering I recognise they were some of the greatest gifts I have ever
received.
My mother’s sudden death when I was thirteen allowed me to
become independent, resourceful, resilient and to know that no matter how bad I
think it is there is always someone who is experiencing something worse than I
am. And to know the pain goes away and that life continues and it’s okay to
live. To be happy.
My son coming 15 days early then deciding to turn around
forcing me to have a C-Section shattered me at first. Making me feel
less than adequate as a woman because I could not even deliver my firstborn naturally. The experience taught me to keep an open mind. It’s not what
we expect. It’s accepting where we are.
My job shutting down two years ago sending me packing out on
the streets publicly was one of the most humbling experiences I have been through.
Humiliation. Anger. Hurt were my initial feelings. Because I practise
expressing gratitude everyday, I was able to move beyond those feelings to
feelings of gratitude because my job shutting down gave me space to breathe.
Take a step away from the rat race and rediscover my passion for writing again.
Believe me you don’t need trauma in your life to experience
gratitude. To be grateful. To feel gratitude but it often takes a trauma to
bring us to our knees to open our mind, body and soul to know there is so much
more out there. It was my breast cancer scare some 15 years ago that forced me
to stay home to recuperate and while recuperating I watched an Oprah show that
changed my life forever. She challenged everyone to start a grateful journal.
And my scare made me realise just how much I had to be grateful for so I
started that journal. And I have been journaling every single night since.
Every night before I go to sleep, I settle myself down then
express gratitude for the events of the day. And I know for sure that when I
express gratitude I feel my heart open, my spirits soar and I appreciate so
much more about being a part of this journey called life. Joy. Abandonment.
Because I know when I appreciate abundance flows my way.
Simply closing my eyes and saying thank you for my breath, my children, my
husband, our family, our home, doing the best I can every single days allows
more to come my way. And for the blessings of gratitude I am truly grateful.
I have learned to never take anything for granted. To never
live a life without gratitude. Without gratitude, we can never experience the richness
and fullness of life. And neither will can we learn compassion and forgiveness. Peace and Love. Possibility. Contentment. That life will challenge us but it is up to us to meet the challenge and move beyond it.
A life lived with gratitude is a life well worth living and
it is one of the greatest gift we can ever give to ourselves. And for gratitude
I am truly grateful. Amen
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