Seriously, gratitude is probably the most necessary component to having a joyous life. The happiest people I know are those who can look at what appear to be dire circumstances in their lives and are grateful. My own experience is that when I'm not absolutely grateful for everything in my life, I have no joy.
When my son was in high school, he was part of a mission trip to Jamaica. What impressed him the most while he was there was that most of the Jamaican people live in dire poverty, yet they are truly happy all of the time. They are grateful for what they have each day, and they aren't worried about what they don't have.
I had a friend years ago who suggested due to my attitude at the time that I should make a gratitude list. He said if I did it right, it would take me several days to complete. I didn't like what he said at the time, but I also knew he was right. If I am still here, breathing, I obviously have everything I need to be alive right now. And if I take time to look, I have much for which to be grateful.
The wonderful thing about gratitude lists is that after you get started, you begin to feel better. When we fill our minds with things we like, there is no room for those things we don't like. We are focusing on what we have instead of what we don't have.
This blog is for you. I wanted to create a space where people can come to give a blessing, receive a blessing, share a blessing. So please feel free to start your own gratitude list here and now. Take your time with this. Sometimes it takes awhile before you begin to feel good. But you will hit on something-maybe a very small something-that is just the thing to lift your spirits. It will make you feel so much better!
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