With an Attitude of Gratitude
By Rev. Valera Childers
During this time of the year it is natural for us to reflect on the things in our lives that we are grateful for. The days are getting shorter, which draws us inside our homes, wanting to be with friends and family. We look around us and see that we are truly blessed.
Personally, this time of the year, when I begin to feel that invigorating chill in the air, I am drawn to the kitchen. I want bake and cook for my family. I want to show them that I am grateful for them in my life and I do that by filling their bellies with warm, nourishing goodies. I am grateful that we have food, a roof over our heads, clothes to keep us warm and friends and family that love us.
Gratitude is something that comes easily at this time of year because “it’s the season”. But what about the rest of year? Do we feel as grateful for what we have (and don’t have, for that matter) in June as we do in November & December? Do we look around us every single day and find at least one thing that we are grateful for? In a country where we waste and consume more than we really know, it is good to take notice of the things that we take for granted.
Living with an attitude of gratitude not only reminds us of how blessed we are, it actually brings us more blessings! Yes, that’s right. The more grateful we are, the more we have to be grateful for. Science tells us that like attracts like, so when we put out the energy of gratefulness, naturally we’ll receive exactly what we sent out. What a great way to live and it certainly makes it more exciting because we never know what’s coming next!
Yes, there are times in our lives that things happen that we don’t exactly thrill over, but in the grand scheme of things, is it really that bad? When something like this happens to me, I try to think of the things that are good in my life and suddenly the situation doesn’t seem so horrible after all. Have you ever noticed that when something “bad” happens it seems to snowball? Could it be that it’s because we’re dwelling on exactly what we don’t want? If that’s the energy that is being sent out, that is exactly what is going to come back.
So I choose, every day, to wake up in a great mood. I know that every day will be a good one. Something wonderful is always around the corner and I am always amazed at how blessed I am...every day.
What are you grateful for? Write it down! Focus on it every day and eventually all of that good, grateful energy will come back to you in a shower of blessings. It has to. After all, it’s science.
Can you even think of how boring this world would be if we were all exactly the same? What in the world would we ever have to talk about? The exchange of ideas and thoughts are the beginnings of creativity and change. Things must change. Without change, we become stagnant. Look at the Earth, for example. She is always changing and we should take that as a sign of how we ought to be.
Valera is an owner and a Priestess of The Village Witch. To learn more about her click here.