count your blessings. celebrations of gratitude.
There are so many opportunities available to us. A rewarding ritual of life which is often overlooked is to count your blessings every day. The act of giving thanks for the gifts of life no matter how small opens in the heart in many ways bringing a sense of contentment and richness to our lives. In my experience the more I give thanks the more I have to give thanks for.
If life seems hard and there is no joy anywhere to be found, make baby steps towards discovering the many wonders that surround you.
At times when the going is tough, the mundane tasks take over; the busyness feels like its going to drown us. So many things to do, appointments to keep, money to make, washing to be done, children to be picked up and dropped off … the list is endless.
Take the time now, to just stop and smell the roses.
After you have woken in the morning, and you have arisen out of bed, look around - what is one thing you are grateful for? Stop and think about one thing that makes your life easier, brighter or maybe supports you to feel more at peace. Take the time to acknowledge and appreciate it. These moments can be missed when our focus is on the struggle. Move your focus to one of gratitude and your perspective will change.
If it is an object you are grateful for, touch it, look at it, notice its colour, its smell, its simplicity or complexity, think about who made it, how it got to you, appreciate its many qualities. Give thanks.
Now think about someone in your life whom you are grateful for. It might be your partner, lover, husband, wife, mother, sister or child. They don’t have to be someone you know personally. It might be someone who inspires you. A teacher, an author, the teller at your local shop who always has a smile for everyone, the old lady next door.
Hold the picture of them in your mind, and think about the qualities of the person and how they touch your life. See or feel their love, radiance, inspiration, calm, innocence, exuberance, enthusiasm - whatever quality touches you, see or feel it touching you.
Give thanks for their presence in your life.
There are people who can walk down the city streets, and stop in wonder at a small flower blossoming, against the odds, through a small crack in the pavement, and take the time to acknowledge its beauty.
A friend of mine, when she used to take her children for a walk, she would let them take all the time in the world to get where ever they were going. Stopping, looking, exploring every inch of the way. Sure this would drive you batty if you were in a hurry. But, every now and again what a gift to explore the beauty and wonder of the world around us with the innocence of a child.
Next time you walk to your washing line, to your car, discover a gift of beauty, whether it’s a natural wonder or something manmade. Give thanks.
Grace is something that has been said in religious families for years. Even if you are not religious, take the time to give thanks for the food before you eat. Acknowledge the abundance that is present in your life, stop and give thanks to the people who grew, delivered and prepared the food. Give thanks.
Have a dinner party and ask everyone to share what they are grateful for in their lives. This can take a bit of courage to put your question out there, but whenever we have done it the response from people is amazing.
If you have family dinners, when you are nearing the end of the meal you can ask every family member to share what is one thing that they give thanks for from their day. This is great if you have a young family and it becomes part of your evening ritual. With older children they may roll their eyes and wonder what planet you are on, so start slowly, maybe just sharing something you are grateful for, and asking casually if they have anything they are happy about. If your older family aren’t into it share it with friends and those that are interested.
Give thanks in the form of a prayer, write about it to someone, start a book of gratitude where you write down what you appreciate and are grateful for. Celebrate life!
Celebrations can come in many simple forms. The power of giving thanks is a powerful celebration of life. Gratitude is one of those mysterious attitudes that can bring about a sense of peace and happiness into your life. Focusing on what you have rather than what you don’t will create a shift in your whole outlook. Take the time to acknowledge the many gifts that surround you, and bathe in the abundance that is already present.
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