Thanks 365

 

We all know that this is the time of year to celebrate Thanksgiving.  But do we know that we can and should celebrate it more often? Not just annually, or monthly or weekly or even daily. We should and must give thanks for every moment in our lives.

Meister Eckhart, the 14^th Century theologian and mystic, famously said:  “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank you’, it will be enough.”

Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude.

Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness.

Thankfulness may consist merely of words.

Gratitude is shown in acts.

So when we act out of gratitude, we are indeed on a higher spiritual path.

Melody Beattie noted: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”

In this season of gratitude, remember what counts. Not the feasting or the gifts, but a simple act of gratitude can go further than a whole sleigh full of goodies.

--Alan Batten for Unity of Charlotte