Today’s Mandala
Thankfulness
“Gratitude
— Melody Beattie
makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
“When I started
— Willie Nelson
counting my blessings,
my whole life turned around.”
“When you rise in the morning,
— Tecumseh
give thanks for the light,
for your life,
for your strength.
Give thanks for your food
and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason
to give thanks,
the fault lies in yourself.”
Today’s MotD reminds us of the power of thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation. And it’s more than just saying the words, it’s about the feeling of it…that’s where it’s power is found. From Health.Harvard.edu: “Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves.“ When we are in a state of thankfulness, we open our hearts, expand our minds, and set a precedence of letting the Universe (God, Source, Light, etc) know that we would like more of this, please.
Our challenge becomes practicing thankfulness on a daily basis (or more often if necessary)…even if, or maybe more importantly if, what we’re experiencing is perceived as negative. That’s when we can connect with it to learn it’s message; it usually involves a perspective change…giving us yet another opportunity to grow (learn, evolve).
From KidsHealth.org, they offer Three Ways to Practice Gratitude: “Everyone can benefit from making an effort to practice gratitude every day. These 3 steps can help you start feeling more grateful, and appreciative of the good things in your life:
- Notice good things, look for them, appreciate them.
- Savor, absorb, and really pay attention to those good things.
- Express your gratitude to yourself, write it down, or thank someone.”
In any given moment (especially the rough ones) we can ask ourselves “what is it about this {insert situation} that I can be thankful?”
From Health.Harvard.edu: Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
“When you are grateful
— Suze Orman
– when you can see
what you have
– you unlock blessings
to flow in your life.”
Blessings,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
btw…started with this and a shimmer view:
Mandala of the Day 