In The Midst Of Outrageous Gratitude

Being appreciated is nice.  I always feel good when someone says a simple "Thank you".  But - expressing my own gratitude has been the real secret to keeping my energy high and allowing the flow of good into my life.

I used to feel a bit phony when I would express my thanks to the Universe for a positive outcome I had prayed about, almost as if I was groveling to get something and, by appreciating what I received, I was even weaker and more needy.  Or worse, saying 'Thank you' became an automated chore, an immediate response that was required in certain situations - not a heartfelt congratulations on a job well done.

My perspective shifted not long after I met my husband, Kevin.  I would watch him reach out with extra effort to make sure a person was appreciated.  And, he also took time each day to focus on the feelings of gratitude for everything happening in HIS life.

Amazingly, he would even feel grateful for things that weren't quite working out as expected.  And, that's where my shift in perspective came in.

It was inspirational to see how he recognized that by expressing gratitude for something that was not working, it was actually a course correction that moved him away from things that might have been disastrous if they had come to fruition.

The other piece of magic I noticed was that as he got specific in his gratitude - declaring a heart-felt deep thanks for the office lease that didn't come through, for the car breaking down in the parking lot of a busy supermarket, for dropping his phone onto the hard ground so that it shattered - there was a seemingly fast response from the Universe to aid him in what ultimately worked out for the better.

And, the same was true for the good in his life.

An expression of gratitude for a $75 gift certificate to a local restaurant that was found a week before it expired led to meeting a client in that same restaurant.

A 'Thank you' to Source for a check received in the mail led to a chance to take an amazing vacation.

It's almost crazy to think about it sometimes now- to see the circumstances that came out of something that I had always considered weakness.   But, it's exactly what moved me from a place of phony and insincere appreciation to making time to be fully present in my statements of gratitude.

Now, as I make time to drop down into that feeling of thankfulness for what is working AND what is not working, I am seeing my own evidence of the real power of gratitude.  My sincere gratitude is a connection to the Universe that is powerfully creating a life of workability.

So, today, I set the intention to continue my evolution along my spiritual path, deepening my gratitude practice and allowing the highest version of myself to be created.

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought,

 and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." 

~G.K. Chesterton

"The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am

 and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy." 

~Henri Nouwen

Affirmative prayer:
Taking a breath and settling in to the chair, there is the awareness of the still, small voice of Spirit.  It is a Divine Intelligence that whispers of life and of love.  It is grand and glorious, as mighty as the mountains and yet, as soft and gentle as the wisp of a cloud floating in the sky.

This Intelligence flows through my life, energizing me into divinely guided action.  I am an open channel through which Spirit expresses, a full expression of magnificent grace and amazing love.

Settling into this realization just a little bit more, I feel the invisible life essence of God lift me into the realm of joy, of peace, of vitality and vibrancy.  I let my old beliefs of appreciation and gratitude fall away, knowing that I have evolved and those beliefs no longer serve me.  I welcome the new beliefs of sincere appreciation for the good in my life and I practice gratitude for the seeming 'not good', with faith and trust that it corrects my course into more abundance, more prosperity, more happiness, than I can even imagine.   I affirm my freedom to reach a place of outrageous gratitude and bless the miracles that follow quickly behind.

I give thanks for the path that has led me to know real appreciation and gratitude.  I bless the lessons and am grateful for the out-picturing of prosperity that has resulted from them.  And I say, Thank you Sweet Spirit, for this journey of self-discovery that gets better and better each day.

From this place of deep gratitude, I release my prayer to the Law of Mind, knowing it is done and I only need to be still and know.  In this moment, I am renewed.  Amen.  Alleluia.  And so it is.

Photo courtesy of Joe Valtierra/Flickr

Have a Beautiful Weekend

Since a theme of gratitude seems to weave it's way through every TED talk I've enjoyed, I decided to share a few of my favorites this weekend.  I spent time this week reflecting on everything I am grateful for and it was beautiful and humbling to see my list.  I hope you all have many things to be grateful for, and if you have only one or two things on your list, know that it is enough to start there.  Have a great weekend...


"In a piece of music, it's the pause or the rest that gives the piece its beauty and its shape." ~Pico Iyer

"Love is in us. It's deeply embedded in the brain. Our challenge is to understand each other." ~Helen Fisher

"It's unbelievably important for us to really test our listening skills, to use our bodies as a resonating chamber." ~Wade Davis

"People are so afraid of variety that they try to fit everything into a tiny box with a very specific label." ~Rosie King

"Why 'follow your passion' can be terrible career advice." ~Mike Rowe

"Hard choices are precious opportunities for us to become the distinctive people that we are." ~Margaret Heffernan


Photo courtesy of Luz Adriana Villa/Flickr

A Powerful Behavior That Could Be A Game-Changer

Change is a constant part of life.  I don't think anyone would disagree with that statement.  And - there are some who embrace change and there are some who will run far, far away from change.

It's funny but I really thought that the more I grew in my spiritual practice, the more things in my life would change.  Instead, what I've seen is that the changes I've been experiencing have been small.  In fact, over the past year, I've had very little change.

Is it that my spiritual foundation is so strong now that I simply move through the changes and barely notice them?  I find that hard to believe.

I can SEE fabulous opportunities for change.  Who wouldn't like more money in their bank account or to lose a little more weight or to have a better relationship with their family.

And it's NOT that I'm unhappy that I haven't been inundated with changes.  But I believe that change is a great opportunity to explore thoughts and feelings that I often didn't even realize I had.  It's a way to meet a new part of myself that had been under wraps.   It creates a space for some spring cleaning for my soul.

So has my personal growth stalled?  If there's no change, how am I supposed to pull out my creative ways of dealing with it?  (Wow, I think I'm coming full circle on my thoughts from a few weeks ago about hitting a ceiling in my spiritual growth.)

What I can FEEL is that there is some change bubbling up from within me.  For me, that feeling reminds me to deepen my connection to the Divine.  Maybe this time of little change is a nudge to keep building on that connection, to really fall in love with Spirit.

There was a song playing on the radio recently and it's a more "Christian" type of song but it beautifully stated what I'm coming to believe about my relationship with the Universe.

"it's gotta be/ more like falling in love/ 

than something to believe in/ 

more like losing my heart/ 

than giving my allegiance"

Now there is a thought to contemplate  - falling in love with the Divine.  

Dr. Patrick Cameron said recently that "Gratitude is one of the key spiritual practices for transformation, because gratitude shifts us into a greater alignment with Source...it is a pathway to greater love."  And, I have to admit that, while I am certainly grateful for things occasionally, I've been hit or miss including this as part of my regular practice.

So, as I seek to take my relationship with Spirit even deeper, gratitude will be essential.  As part of the daily intention and affirmation practice I have been working on, I'm adding a gratitude list as a way to finish it off.  Six things to be grateful for every day and, as much as possible, they have to be different from the day before.

Demonstrating gratitude will bring more things into our lives to be grateful for.

Gratitude is a powerful behavior that could be a game-changer in my life.  So, as a good friend of mine likes to tell me, I say BRING IT ON!  Oh, and don't forget to breathe....

What are some things YOU are grateful for?  Do you have a gratitude practice?

Today, I set my intention to transform my life through the practice of gratitude, knowing I will move through any changes with ease and with grace and uncover abundance in everything as a result.

"And because all things have contributed to your advancement, 

you should include all things in your gratitude." 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Your lamp was lit from another lamp.  

All God wants is your gratitude for that.  

~Rumi

Affirmative Prayer:
Hearing the birds sing and the breeze gently move through the wind chimes, there is a recognition of Oneness with all of creation.  And in this Oneness, there is Creative Intelligence that reveals beauty, uncovers wisdom and transforms dreams into reality.

This Creative Intelligence flows through me, seeking to express in new and greater ways as me.  Leaning into this knowledge, I allow joy to surround me and courage to move my feet, excited for the good that flows from embracing this truth.

As I am inspired to step up my practice of gratitude, I accept that abundance and prosperity in all areas of my life will unfold in amazing ways.  Relationships that are loving and kind are revealed as I express gratitude for my current relationships.  And I celebrate my increasing good health as I say Thank You for my current ability to walk and run and dance with a strong heart and lungs filled with life-giving oxygen.  I affirm that I am a better person as I express gratitude to others and gladly help them with a gracious attitude of service.  I love being in love with Life!

I am so grateful for this feeling of excitement that is expressed as my ever-increasing abundance and prosperity are realized.    And I am thankful for the big and the small opportunities that allow me to practice the art of gratitude in my life.  I am filled with gratitude for the blessings that are showered upon me as I stay in this feeling place of thankfulness.

Reveling in the awareness that my life is good, I release my Word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done.  I am fully available to what is next.  And I let it be so.  And so it is.