Blessed is a grateful heart, and wiser people than I commend everyone to be thankful at all times. Sure, it’s hard at times, but whatever we entertain as a possibility becomes possible. Thankfulness expands our perspective.
Here are some simple things we can all be thankful for — no matter our circumstances:
1. As living beings, we’ve been granted entry into life, and no matter how well (or not) our bodies and minds work, science proves we’re all living examples of the cosmic demonstration of the miraculous.
2. Even in despair there is cause for hope, because circumstances bear the continual possibility of change. When we’re full of hope, the abundant life is manifest in full bloom.
3. We’ve been given people to love, and in loving others we receive a portion of love that rebounds back through the design of life. Evidence of this is the joy we feel when we’ve blessed someone.
4. Achievements beckon through the capacity for work, for diligence through acts of integrity brings a wealth of spiritual blessing.
5. Whether by eye or ear or touch or taste or smell — or all or a combination of these senses in symphony — we experience the known created world. It, like us, is an ever-changing celestial miracle.
6. Memories furnish our past, and though dark memories taint vision for the present, healing stands again as a possibility. One of the gorgeous things about positive memories — (and all of us have at least some positive memories) — is they enrich our lives more the older we get.
7. The world and every part of existence is so large yet so intricate that there’s enough experience to fill a million lifetimes and more. Boredom ought never be a problem. Natural stimuli everywhere.
8. The hope that persists in recovery — whether it’s ours or others — prevails over the lie that people are static. Any of us can change, because our hearts are malleable. A surrendered heart will always grow.
9. Humanity has the capacity to learn. Have you thought about the majesty of that paradigm? Thought is progression, and growth, if we want it badly enough, is inevitable.
10. The simplicity in this hope: the sun rises on a new day. Everything starts afresh.
11. For any and all of the needs that are being met. For any and all of the needs that have been met over the history of each of the days of our lives. For any and all of the needs that will be met in future.
12. That beyond having some or most of our needs met, the hope present that unmet needs may be met today or tomorrow.
13. To complete the thoughts of points eleven and twelve, that it is possible to be content and even thrive when some or even a lot of our needs are not being met. Resilience in a word.
14. For all the kind, patient, gentle, compassionate, gracious people in the world and in your world. Sure, there are many who exemplify opposite qualities, but our attention is best directed to those who deserve our recognition.
15. Acts of random kindness can be given and received in any moment in time. It could happen to you in five minutes’ time. Or you could do the deed.
16. That despite the very little a person may be afforded in a Third World country, there is still the capacity for love, for teaching an ignorant world beyond it, and for impetus for change, the hope that poverty would one day be annihilated.
17. You and I are more beloved than we can possibly know.
18. Though many may think this is a bittersweet blessing/curse scenario, we truly are very blessed to have the capacity to feel. Yes, even pain.
I hope you resonated with a few of the items on this list.
Photo by Mike Palmowski on Unsplash
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