November 25, 2010….
Thanksgiving Day formally opens the “season of gratitude.” Perhaps a meal shared with friends and family brought a chance to slow down and count one’s blessings. Then immediately, before digestion is complete, along comes the mad dash to begin holiday gift shopping. Can we pause a moment here to reflect more on life’s blessings?
“Life is a gift we receive each day. When we’re closed it’s as though we are asleep to the gift of life.” Miriam Greenspan
Waking up to the gift of life requires some conscious effort. Abraham/Hicks offers an exercise called “The Rampage of Appreciation.” Basically you look around your environment for something that pleases you. You focus on it and your mood will improve. Continue choosing objects “that easily evoke your appreciation. If you deliberately set aside 10 minutes a day for this practice, after a few days you will find yourself automatically searching for things to appreciate because it feels so pleasing.” Acknowledging life’s small joys- a child’s giggles, a stranger holding the door for you, a late blooming dandelion- appreciating and feeling gratitude for these precious things expands the heart and leaves one open for more to come! It is recommended that you silently say “Thank you” with this exercise and even write down what it is that you appreciate, which will greatly enhance the process.
At day’s end, another recommended practice, is the “Gratitude Journal” where one writes down each day what occurred that one is grateful for, acknowledging life’s small and bigger blessings. “Life is a gift” and as the saying goes, “today is a present.”
“How to say: Thanks” in a written note will be in the next post. Happy Thanksgiving!
“Be grateful to everyone. Be grateful for everything. Who can say what’s good or bad, only time will tell.” – Buddhist prayer
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References:
Ask and It Is Given, -Esther and Jerry Hicks, Hay House, Inc. 2004
Ode Magazine,”The Art of Receiving”, December, 2008