GRATITUDE ~ An Attitude of the Heart

There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.
~ Ralph H. Blum
Thanksgiving, usually celebrated at the end of November, is an important celebration in America. It does make sense to dedicate a day in a year for practising gratitude for the year that has passed, whilst looking forward with hope to the year ahead. December has always been a month for celebration – annual dinners, Christmas, New Year, and what have you – for reminiscing the old year and welcoming the new.
During these last weeks before 2013, let us take some time to savour each remaining moment, reflect, and be grateful to God for having been there for us all this time – blessing, keeping and holding us through each trial and storm. As we look back at the months past, so much has happened in our lives and the world around us that sometimes takes our breath away. May we learn to thank God for everything He has given us and our families. To some, there may have been additions to the family stable – a new baby , an in-law, a boyfriend or girlfriend – all occasions deserving a celebration. As our family extends, we are also mindful of those who had lost their loved ones, whether to a debilitating disease, a sudden death or a tragic divorce. Eph. 5:20 exhorts us to “always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” – whether good or bad, let us thank God in every situation.
I have learnt to be grateful to God for all things – for relatively good health, for the wealth of family and friends, for the peace He gives, for the quiet calm and joy of living each day in gratitude. I believe we have to accept the fact that there is nothing in this life we can hold on for too long. Thus, we need to live for the moment, to seize the day, to be fully aware that the present-ness of each moment counts more than the preparation for a lifetime we may never get to experience. And to live with gratitude in our hearts each moment, each day, is testimony of a life that is content in God.
May we look at our lives today and be grateful for all things because they may not be there for us tomorrow. Melody Beattie’s quote sums it all up most aptly: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”