As we approach Thanksgiving week I want to emphasize the importance of the practice of gratitude.
Yesterday I camped out in the daily scripture in psalms- give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever. Gratitude is a state of mind and a practice. Research shows we cannot feel fear, anxiety, or worry, and gratitude at the same time. In times such as these, so many are in a mental health crisis with a pandemic, social unrest and a general sense of uncertainty on what is coming. We need gratitude more than ever and need to welcome it as a great friend.
I started the practice I learned years ago and have held fast to it-the teaching of gratitude as the antidote to fear and worry. I began the practice of counting my blessings, large and small on paper and when paper was not available I recounted silently in my mind.
On an emotional scale gratitude ranks really high- right above love. Who doesn’t need more of that in our lives especially in the times in which we find ourselves. As I see friends going through such difficult times physically and admire how they continue to practice gratitude that stabilizes and boosts their emotional energy level. It is really like powering up our bodies like we would power up our phones.
I encourage you to begin a practice of gratitude daily in the mornings when you wake up -think of at least 10 things that you were grateful for such as hot coffee, a quiet home, time in the word, a soft chair, a green tree and squirrels playing in them. Life‘s pleasures are often the small things and those are the things that we miss most when they are gone. Let’s practice this week counting our blessings and watching our emotional climate lift to new levels.
In everything give thanks!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving and know I am grateful for you!!
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