Gratitude - an active awareness of good

Grateful doberman thanks firefighter

Gratitude's the thing. A grateful person lights up a room. My father-in-law is like that. He loves people, and they feel his genuine love. He can walk into a room full of strangers, and 30 minutes later have half a dozen new friends. He considers their achievements and accomplishments amazing and wonderful. And they love his recognition of their worth.

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“Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love.
It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone,
but requires all mankind to share it.”
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You know what? I used to be embarrassed by his delight in everything. Now I am in awe of the consistency of his joy. It hasn't wavered in the nearly 40 years I've known him. He meets "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" with the same inner strength and good humor with which he greets good news. And, I've never heard him criticize anyone.

Not always having felt so naturally grateful for everything, I find it helpful from time to time to list the things I'm grateful for. This is not an exercise in positive thinking, so much as a conscious decision to recognize and rejoice in the good in my life. Since whatever is truly good originates in God, gratitude recognizes the hand of God moving gently through my life, my day.

Gratitude can be for good not yet seen, too. Jesus thanked God before he fed the multitudes. He thanked God before he raised his friend Lazarus from the dead.

It's most satisfying when gratitude moves from thanks for things you can hold, to thanks for things you feel in your heart, such as, Thanks, dear Father-Mother good, for always being here for me! Thanks for being the source of all that's good in my life. Thanks for amazing sunsets and gentle rain. Thanks for celebrating the promise of spring with happy flowers and singing birds.

In fact, before going to sleep tonight, I'm going to leave a voice mail for God, just thanking Him/Her for everything good I can think of. It's a great way to fall asleep. I highly recommend it.