Gratitude

“Honor life with GRATITUDE. It is the recognition and expression of appreciation for what is.

“When a gift is nicely wrapped, we take our time to open it. . . Because it looks pretty on the outside we anticipate there is something just as nice on the inside. This is not always the case with gifts we receive, and it is certainly not the case with the life we have received. The experiences and conditions of life are the wrappings; they are not the essence, the invaluable gift. Many of the things we complain about, worry about, create drama about and fear in life are simply ugly wrapping paper. They may not be pleasant to look at or live through, but they do not affect the essence of life. When we think about the true meaning and value of the gift of life, the only worthy response is gratitude. . . gratitude is more than a word or a gesture. Being truly grateful for the gift of life must be an experience.

“It is very easy to get so wrapped up in doing what you feel needs to be done that you forget to be grateful for the ability to do.

“When we become grateful to this degree we will begin to notice the small things. . . You acknowledge everything that you have; more important, you recognize who you are. You are a living expression of the Creator of the universe.

“Gratitude is a state of consciousness. It is the experience of living in a state of joy. I have watched the expressions on the faces of people caught in a traffic jam. I see how irritated they become. I watch them trying to weave in and out to get to somewhere. I often wonder how many of them are grateful to be in a car? How many of them are grateful that they have a watch that informs them that they are about to be late? . . . We forget to live fully now, in the moment we have. If you choose to live in panic, drama and fear, life will accommodate you! It will give you exactly what is required to experience your chosen state of mind. If you want to live peacefully, joyfully and abundantly, you must choose to discover these experiences as often as you can, and you must be grateful for them. My father always said, ‘You must want what you have before you can have what you want.’ Gratitude is like a magnet that attracts more of it to itself; the more grateful you are, the more you will receive to be grateful for.”

from One Day My Soul Just Opened Up by Iyanla Vanzant