Celebrating Gratitude

None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.
~Fred De Witt Van Amburgh~

Can you imagine how miserable life must be for the person who has no gratitude?  How hard it must be to go through life without acknowledging how fortunate we are to have all the blessings God has bestowed upon us!


It may not seem like it but it's really quite easy, and honestly, quite necessary to be grateful.  It reminds us of all the good things in our lives - even if we have to look really hard for them.  Being grateful is humbling and reminds us that we are not without value.


When life is hard and we're at a low point, when we think nothing is going our way and we'll never have any hope, we can always express gratitude.  Be grateful every morning that you woke up.  That's it - just that you woke up.  So many didn't make it to today and many of us won't make it to tomorrow.  As long as you are alive, you have hope and hope in and of itself is plenty enough reason to be grateful.


Developing an 'attitude of gratitude' is much the same as learning to think positively.  You don't have to feel it in the beginning - in fact, you probably won't.  If you say 'thank you' enough, you'll be surprised one day when you discover that you actually mean. it.  Maybe it's kind of like brainwashing yourself but in a good way.


Gratitude starts small.  Thank people whose lives intersect with yours during the day.  Thank the person who held a door open for you.  Thank the waitress who took your order in a restaurant.  Thank the bagger when you guy groceries.  Thank anyone who does even the tiniest nice thing for you.  You'll not only be developing an 'attitude of gratitude' you'll also show appreciation to someone who may not get it very often.


Don't limit your expressions of gratitude to strangers.  Express your gratitude to your family and friends as well.  The more you express gratitude, the sooner you will feel it.   I would also suggest that a little gratitude might make for better relationships.  Who doesn't smile and perk up when we feel appreciated?


Finally, I'm grateful to all of you who read my blog.  I'm also grateful when they're shared (did you know there are links at the bottom that you can click to share my blog?).


So, now we have a positive attitude and are grateful.  That's not all, so guess what...


...to be continued...