|
January
31 |

|
|
|
Today's
quotation:
It was
inevitable, I suppose, that in the garden I should begin,
at long last, to ask myself what lay behind all this
beauty. When guests were gone and I had the flowers all
to myself, I was so happy that I wondered why at the same
time I was haunted by a sense of emptiness. It was as
though I wanted to thank somebody, but had nobody to
thank; which is another way of saying that I felt the
need for worship. That is, perhaps, the kindliest way in
which a person may come to his or her God. There is an interminable
literature on the origins of the religious impulse, but
to me it is simpler than that. It is summed up in the
image of a person at sundown, watching the crimson flowering
of the sky and saying--to somebody--"Thank you."
Beverly
Nichols
|
Today's
Meditation:
This
may sound weird, but that's okay: one of the times
that I consistently feel the most gratitude in life is
when I get into a hot bubble bath and feel the hot water
warm my entire body. "Thank you" are
always the words that leap into my mind at that point, and
I'm not sure why. It's inevitable--I get into the
hot water and the words come out. When I think about
it, of course, I can come up with some logical reasons for
being grateful to have a nice tub full of hot water to get
into, but the words are automatic. I don't think
about them at all until after I say them.
The
simple things in life are those for which we can be the
most grateful, if we just open our eyes and hearts to
appreciate them. The simple things are the most
consistent--they're the things that make us feel good over
and over, that make us see the beauty and joy and goodness
of the world in small doses. Personally, I would
rather see one beautiful flower every day than to spend
one day in a beautiful garden or a florist's shop.
The garden has its place and its own beauty and the
memories it provides can be priceless, but the flower
every day is a constant reminder of the beauty of life and
living. And if I feel an impulse in my heart to say
"thank you" to the flower, it's all the better,
for then my gratitude joins with the beauty and creates
something even more.
Most
religion is based on gratitude, as Nichols points
out. Our feelings of thankfulness for all that we
have and the opportunity to live on this beautiful planet
are a driving force in our lives, and our lives become
something less when we start to take things for granted
and not feel thankful any longer. We lose the
ability to see and recognize beauty when we're not
thankful for it, and we lose the ability to enjoy music
when we don't feel gratitude for the fact that it exists.
Gratitude
shouldn't be saved for Thanksgiving Day. Gratitude
should be a way of life just as any given religion should
be a way of life rather than a set of beliefs and a weekly
walk-though of a ceremony or two. If you feel
religion in your heart, make it a way of life and walk the
walk. If you feel gratitude in your heart, extend it
to virtually every aspect of your life and see the shine
that your life takes on.
|
Questions to
consider:
What do you have to be grateful for? (This should
be a long list if you're realistic about it.)
What happens when we start to take things for
granted? How does our perspective on these things
change the way we live our lives?
Think of something that you've never really associated
with gratitude. Does that something change when you
see it through grateful eyes? |
For further
thought:
Blessings we enjoy
daily, and for most of them,
because
they be so common, we forget to pay
our
praises. But let
not us, because
it is a sacrifice so
pleasing to Him who
still protects
us, and gives us
flowers and showers
and meat and contentment.
Izaak
Walton |
more
thoughts and ideas on gratitude |
|
|
|
|
quotations
- contents
-
welcome
page
-
obstacles
our
current e-zine
-
the
people behind the words
-
articles
and excerpts
Daily
Meditations, Year One - Year
Two - Year Three - Year Four
Sign up
for your free daily spiritual or general quotation ~ ~ Sign
up for your free daily meditation
 |
tm |
|
All contents © Living Life
Fully, all rights reserved. |
|
|
|
|

|
We
have some inspiring and motivational books that may
interest you. Our main way of supporting this site
is through the sale of books, either physical copies or
digital copies for your Amazon Kindle (including the
online reader). All of the money that we earn
through them comes back to the site in one way or another.
Just click on the picture to the left to visit our page of
books, both fiction and non-fiction! |
|
|
|
|