The Healing Power of Gratitude

"If the only prayer you say in your life is 'thank you,' that would suffice." --Meister Eckhart

The First Thanksgiving, painting by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Don't you love that sentiment--in theory?? Don't you find it hard to practice--in reality??

Sometimes life deals us a tough hand and reaching down and feeling any crumb of gratitude feels like an impossible task. How can one be grateful for a grim health diagnosis or the death of a loved one, for instance? Even if in our hearts, we may have an inkling that whatever it is, it is part of the soul's journey, ours or the loved one's, and just perfect in some way which we have yet to grasp, how do we get to that place of acceptance?

Often, it's the little things that get under our skin and push gratitude aside. Perhaps a colleague who has less experience than we at a job seems to be doing better, reaping professional awards we feel we deserve. And when that uncomfortable envy-jealousy thing creeps in, we can't stand ourselves. How can we be thankful for THAT?

Or maybe we wake up and realize that we have nothing in common with the person we fell in love with and married 35 years ago, yet part of us still loves this person. Or maybe our poker-playing (or bar-tending or you-name-it) kid is never going to get a "real" job and be self-sufficient. And how can any of that be gratitude-worthy?

We maybe have gotten into the habit of seeing our life (and ourselves) as lacking, so it takes a huge effort to focus on everything we've been given, and the miracles that are present. Every. Single. Day.

Research has shown that being grateful (even, "Wow, I made it through another day, in spite of this burden I've been carrying!") improves our health. It makes us more resilient, gives us higher energy levels, makes us more optimistic, and reduces stress.

So why not interrupt your regularly scheduled, unconscious negative mind track, and simply stop and take in how everything and everyone in your life is a gift?