I was inspired by an article sent by my friend Rosie about Oprah's overwhelming gratitude. I've heard of her gratitude journals and I attempted to keep one but for one reason or another, I never put my thoughts down in writing. My evening prayer is always a brief "Thank you Lord for this day." Restless that I am these past few days, it would help to list down the things that I'm thankful for today.
1. I'm thankful to have a good relationship with my parents. We have our usual arguments and debates but I would say that these are normal for any parent-child relationship. I can discuss most things with Ma. Pa, on the other hand, provides wisdom from his experiences. I'm also thankful for my brother and sisters who I can openly share things with.
2. I'm thankful for coming nearer my goal of a balanced life. It took quite a number of years and streams of tears to juggle work, family, friends and my spirituality. It was no easy feat to integrate myself back in Manila. There were the usual questions of "Why am I here?" and "Is this what I really want?" but I overcame the restlessness and found my peace with what I have today.
3. I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel. I do a lot of travels whether for business or personal and I'm grateful to see what life is like outside of the comforts of my home. I may not have wholeheartedly initially accepted the offers that were given to me but it took acceptance and a reminder of where I am today and what I have accepted to do. I always remind myself that I always have a choice.
4. I'm thankful for Friday nights. Friday nights are MY nights whether I watch a movie, have dinner at one of my favorite restos or enjoy conversations while I quietly watch the cityscape from the bar window. I'm happy for the time I keep for myself and how I drown out the noise of the week to find peace within myself.
5. I'm thankful for true friends. I think my being centered has also something to do with the friends I keep. Being surrounded with the right people has surely made me a better person. There are friends who I don't see everyday but are nevertheless keeping my best interest in mind. As Shar has told me before, there is no need to explain to true friends. True friends will believe while your enemies will never believe anything you say no matter how truthful you say it.
6. I'm thankful for the job that I have. It gave me the opportunity to learn, to meet different people and most especially to grow. It has also given me the financial stability in order to enjoy the finer things in life. It has also given me the chance to share my blessings. It has been an endless stream of abundance that returned to me a hundredfold.
I'm pasting below the article from Oprah and here's hoping that you share it with others. Pass it on and see how two simple words can make a difference. Thank you.
THANKFULNESS
By Oprah Winfrey
I live in the space of thankfulness - and I have been rewarded a million times over for it. I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased.
That's because what you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life.
'Say thank you!' Those words from my friend and mentor Maya Angelou turned my life around. One day about ten years ago, I was sitting in my bathroom with the door closed and the toilet lid down, booing and hooing on the phone so uncontrollably that I was incoherent.
'Stop it! Stop it right now and say thank you!' Maya chided. 'But - you don't understand,' I sobbed.
To this day, I can't remember what it was that had me so far gone, which only proves the point Maya was trying to make. 'I do understand,' she told me. 'I want to hear you say it now. Out loud 'Thank you.'' Tentatively, I repeated it: 'Thank you - but what am I saying thank you for?'
'You're saying thank you,' Maya said, 'because your faith is so strong that you don't doubt that whatever the problem, you'll get through it. You're saying thank you because you know that even in the eye of the storm, God has put a rainbow in the clouds. You're saying thank you because you know there's no problem created that can compare to the Creator of all things. 'Say thank you!'
So I did - and still do. Only now I do it every day. I kept a gratitude journal! , as Sarah Ban Breathnach suggests in Simple Abundance, list at least five things that I'm grateful for.
My list includes small pleasures: the feel of Kentucky bluegrass under my feet (like damp silk); a walk in the woods with all nine of my dogs and my cocker spaniel Sophie trying to keep up; cooking fried green tomatoes with Stedman and eating them while they're hot; reading a good book and knowing another awaits.
My thank-you list also includes things too important to take for granted: an 'okay' mammogram, friends who love me, 25 years at the same job (and loving it more than the first day I started), a chance to share my vision for a better life, staying centered, having financial security.
I won't kid you, having money for all the things I want is a blessing. But as I look back over my journals, which I've kept since I was 15 years old, 99 per cent of what brought me real joy had nothing to do with money. (It had a lot to do with food, however.)
It's not easy being grateful all the time. But it's when you feel least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you:PERSPECTIVE. Just knowing you have that daily list to complete allows you to look at your day differently, with an awareness of every sweet gesture and kind thought passed your way. When you learn to say thank you, you see the world anew.
And as Meister Eckhart so eloquently stated: 'If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is 'Thank you God, that would suffice.'
Have a safe and blessed day!
No comments:
Post a Comment