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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