Day and night, gifts keep pelting down on us.
If we were aware of this, gratefulness would overwhelm us. But we go through life in a daze.
A power failure makes us aware of what a gift electricity is; a sprained ankle lets us appreciate walking as a gift, a sleepless night, sleep.
How much we are missing in life by noticing gifts only when we are suddenly deprived of them.
~ David Steindal-Rast, A Listening Heart from The Spirituality of Sacred Sensuousness
Notes: Photo – via Your Eyes Blaze Out
Yes! Even in the wee hours of the morning…😉 Grateful.
Especially then…
Maybe the world would be a nicer place to live in…….
Except for the out houses. :o)
Agree!
This makes me smile. I get the message but feel it can be brought to extremes. Remembering a sprained ankle when I was trying to care for my dying father. It wasn’t a gift in any sense.
Oh, I can see that….and agree.
so true –
Yes! Your post has reminded me that this whole thing is a gift–life! Thank you!
It is!
Truth!
My biggest fear by far is to go through life in that daze.
When life doesn’t deprive of something, I deprive myself. I’m afraid of getting too comfortable!
So agree with you.
Wise words….we have no comprehension of all the gifts from above, none… I try to be always grateful…I’ve gain so much through the times when I had to make difficult adjustments during my journey…during the time when God had me sitting uncomfortably on my behind or laying down and allowed me the gift of regaining a functional walk..during that time, I found your blog and found out I could write…bringing full circle a summation of ‘Voice’. vocal, singing and expressive writing …having had no ability to speak for so long, (totally an inner world)…still haven’t seen the nero-surgeon…that day will come…I continue the attempt to always yield to God, (I so fall short) profess gratefulness and recognize that each breath is a gift from above…
Your thoughts of “always” trying to be grateful reminds me of Melody Beattie’s advice:
Every day we face interruptions, delays, changes, and challenges. We face personality conflicts and disappointments. Often when we’re feeling overwhelmed, we can’t see the lessons in these experiences.
One simple concept can get us through the most stressful of times. It’s called gratitude. We learn to say, thank you, for these problems and feelings. Thank you for the way things are. I don’t like this experience, but thank you anyway.
Force gratitude until it becomes habitual. Gratitude helps us stop trying to control outcomes. It is the key that unlocks positive energy in our life. It is the alchemy that turns problems into blessings, and the unexpected into gifts.
~ Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go
http://melodybeattie.com/gratitude/
Thanks for the into to Melody Beattie’s…I found what I was searching for, believe it to be the first time I replied to one of your offerings. I spoke of acknowledging gratitude… https://davidkanigan.com/2014/11/18/theres-that-split-second-moment/
for me being grateful is a constant…
Wonderful. Thanks for the trip back….
Thank you, Dave…you impact us all, greatly…
Love this reminder … and Melody Beattie’s words too. Thank you David 💝
Thanks Val….
I have to admit I’m overly grateful all the time. How boring, eh? But truly every day of life is a gift.
Lucky you to have this figured out!
Typing away with a broken R hand…this one certainly hit home…thanks
Gees, Freddie, need to get that right wing healed…and fast.
Yesterday, as I walked into the grocery store, I heard a little boy say to his mother, “look at that palm tree!”. Woke me from my daze, at least temporarily, and I looked at the palm tree.
So good! That’s what we all need. The wonder and awe of a child!
Gratitude can also be a practice. If one is mindful, the things others take for granted swell our hearts every day. Aloha.