The Spiritual Work of Gratitude

To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives-the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections-that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for.

Let's not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.

--Henri Nouwen

I Will Think Healing Thoughts

When you feel anger or resentment, ask God to help you feel it, learn from it, and then release it. Ask God to bless those who you feel anger toward. Ask God to bless you too.

When you feel fear, ask God to take it from you. When you feel misery, force gratitude. When you feel deprived, know that there is enough.

When you feel ashamed, reassure yourself that who you are is okay. You are good enough.

When you doubt your timing or your present position in life, assure yourself that all is well; you are right where you're meant to be. Reassure yourself that others are too.

When you ponder the future, tell yourself that it will be good. When you look back at the past, relinquish regrets.

When you notice problems, affirm there will be a timely solution and a gift from the problem.

When you resist feelings or thoughts, practice acceptance. When you feel discomfort, know it will pass. When you identify a want or a need, tell yourself it will be met.

When you worry about those you love, ask God to protect and care for them. When you worry about yourself, ask God to do the same.

When you think about others, think love. When you think about yourself, think love.

Then watch your thoughts transform reality.

Today, I will think healing thoughts.

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.

Gratitude in Action

Gratitude should go forward, rather than backward.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 29

I am very grateful that my Higher Power has given me a second chance to live a worthwhile life. Through Alcoholics Anonymous, I have been restored to sanity. The promises are being fulfilled in my life. I am grateful to be free from the slavery of alcohol. I am grateful for peace of mind and the opportunity to grow, but my gratitude should go forward rather than backward. I cannot stay sober on yesterday's meetings or past Twelfth-Step calls; I need to put my gratitude into action today. Our co-founder said our gratitude can best be shown by carrying the message to others. Without action, my gratitude is just a pleasant emotion. I need to put it into action by working Step Twelve, by carrying the message and practicing the principles in all my affairs. I am grateful for the chance to carry the message today!

from Daily Reflections ©1990 AAWS, INC.

Grateful Morning

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

--Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Today's Meditation:

I don't think that too many people do this first thing in the morning. Most people seem to be focused on the tasks that are ahead of them for today--what has to be done, where they have to go, when they have to be where. When our lives revolve around our careers and (hopefully) our families, it's very easy to be focused on something other than the glory and the blessing of a new day in our lives. If we turn on the news or pick up the paper and see the scandals and violence and wars, it can be difficult to appreciate the privileges we have.

I made a CD and bought an alarm clock that played compact discs as an alarm. The first song that we woke up to in the morning, then was "What a Wonderful World." It was nice having that reminder of the beauty of the world in my mind the first thing every day. In our motorhome we don't have room for that alarm clock, but I still do my best to listen to uplifting music and read uplifting words every morning so that my mind is focused on the fact that I am, indeed, privileged to be alive on this day, whatever its weather or circumstances.

When we focus on the privilege that we have of breathing the air of this planet and thinking our own unique thoughts and enjoying all this world has to give us, our lives take on a new luster, a new shine. When we focus early on the morning of the privilege of sharing the love we have with others, life has a much deeper meaning.

We choose what we think. We choose what we wake up to, and we choose the first things we think about. I hope that I'm always able to start my days with positive, uplifting thoughts about gratitude and love...

For further thought:
Most mornings when I awake, I am pleasantly surprised to find I’m still alive. On occasion I have been known to wake up mean and irritable, but even then I can choose not to stay that way. Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow may not come. Today is the only slot of time I really have. What a shame to blow it. I want to make today the very best possible. . . . Before I crawl out of bed, I thank the Lord for another day and ask for strength. Maybe I’m to clean the house, or work at the office, or talk with a friend over lunch. The tasks aren’t the issue; my attitude is.

--Marabel Morgan

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