For many years, my sister encouraged me to Journal. She had had some traumatic experiences as a child and young adulthood. Many years of counseling led to her love for Journaling. She found it to be an excellent healing tool. My sister had many written journals many of which had fallen apart and strapped together with rubber bands.
After experiencing two divorces, severe life-threatening illnesses, and significant financial problems, I turned to journal as a way to express how I felt. During this traumatic time in my life, I desperately turned to books, the internet & YouTube in search of answers & directions to healing. Many experts recommended Journaling as an outlet.
At first, it took the form of begging God for this or that. Then it was interspersed with complaints about what was going wrong in my life & how I wanted this to change. I continued to write. At night, I would climb into bed with a book and a pen, writing whatever came to me.
With time, the complaints & begging transitioned to Gratitude.
I had read and heard that Gratitude was one of the most powerful transforming energy & I was willing to try it. After all, I was unhappy, discontent, confused and desperate for a change that would lead to a fulfilling life. It was worth a try, I thought.
I started out by listing 10 to 20 things for which I was grateful. This continued for several months. I was methodical and consistent, oftentimes without emotion.
Then I read somewhere that my Gratitude Journaling needed to be filled with emotions. Positive, deep emotions of thankfulness….for everything…the good & the so-called bad.
Soon, my bedtime routine was one of story writing. Deep emotional Gratitude for the day’s passing. Deep emotional Gratitude for the night to come. There were tears of Joy & Thanksgiving for food, shelter, clothing, friends, family. Tears of Thanksgiving for sunlight, rain, hot water, running water. Anything and everything that came to my mind, I offered gratitude for. For the simple things, we so often take for granted.
Gratitude soon became a way of life for me.
A gratitude attitude has made all the difference for me.
A gratitude attitude has led to a state of peace and Contentment.
A gratitude attitude has put things in the right perspective for me. It has led me to count my blessings & name them one by one as the hymn says. No longer do I complain. I chose to speak gratitude instead of complaining.
A gratitude mindset has led to increased faith as I’ve learned to express thanks even for the things I haven’t yet seen with my physical eyes. I see them with my spiritual eyes, express gratitude for them, then wait for the manifestation.
Gratitude leads to less worry. I trust instead.
Gratitude makes me see the glass as half full as opposed to half empty.
When I look back at where I used to be and where I am now, I can say for sure that an attitude of gratitude has helped me greatly to be the happy, peace-filled, content, joyful person that I am. For I have learned and am still learning to be content in whatever state I am.
The minister at the Unity Church that I attend always say that the most powerful prayer that anyone can say is:
“Thank You, God”
I find this to be true.
Thank you, God!
Marva Riley, author of EAT SLEEP MEDITATE A NURSE’S GUIDE TO HEALTH
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