What would you like to share with us this Thanksgiving week about gratitude?
The gratitude shift...
Yeoshua: We are so glad there is a holiday around the substantial spiritual principle of gratitude. This is my spiritual principle number two. This is an amazingly important and amazingly simple principle to master. It is simply about giving thanks for every person, place, thing, or circumstance in your life. The process of giving thanks is transformative. It can take you from anger to bliss when you properly give thanks and see the situation from a different perspective.
Let me give you an example. Many people right now are preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday. They are cursing the many people and long lines in the grocery stores of America. They are ticking off all the items on their to-do list in regards to cooking a turkey with all of the trimmings. They are worrying about who is coming to be seated at their table. They are worrying about how much money it will cost to buy all the food needed to prepare this fabulous feast. That is one perspective. Let us think of another perspective.
What about the families that cannot be with one another this Thanksgiving because they have no money to make the trip? What about the families who do not have the means to buy and cook a turkey this year? What about the single individuals who have no one to share a meal with on Thanksgiving or on any other day? These are a few other perspectives. Does it change how you feel about the rushing around, the crowded parking lots, and the cursing the time you spend preparing and cooking? Do you look on the situation with gratitude as a result of this change in perspective? I would think yes. Can this change of perspective take you from cursing the holiday to being thankful for your own circumstances? I would think the answer is yes.
So, as you move through this holiday, I ask you to give thanks, for real. Look around you at the people you love and the people who love you and give thanks. Look around at the place you call home and give thanks. Look around at the food on the table and give thanks. Move through this holiday with joy on your lips and peace in your heart.
And whenever you find yourself cranky or angry or out of sorts, look for something to be thankful for even if it’s just a flower growing out of the sidewalk. This simple gesture will transform you if you allow it to. God bless you. Namasté.
