This is the season when we are reminded to give thanks. In the whirlwind of family events, how do we take time for mindful gratitude? One way is with a Gratitude Journal, a special book devoted to listing the things, large and small, that enrich our lives. If you have one that you’ve been neglecting, now is a great time to revisit it. If you don’t, consider finding a few quiet moments each day to list ten things you are grateful for. Choosing to focus on your gratitude list first thing in the morning creates a positive outlook for your whole day.
Another place where we focus on our gratitude is at the Thanksgiving table. This year, I invite you to slow down. Ask each member of the family to express their gratitude for one small blessing. Look at the food on your fork and express gratitude for that bite of food. This mindfulness practice brings you into the moment and centers you. Look at the person next to you and express gratitude for one of their special characteristics. Sharing small, simple thoughts of gratitude can help unify the people at your table and deepen the experience of eating together. And you probably won’t overeat if you are practicing mindful eating!
Today, my gratitude list includes ‘Bighearted Friends’ and ‘Good Health.’ Next week, Kathy Hartley, my friend and owner of the Lavender Inn in Ojai, CA, is generously dedicating 3 days at her beautiful bed & breakfast to support 10 women, all undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. The women will be treated to gourmet meals, spa treatments, massages, workshops and support for moving on with their lives. I will be providing personal life coaching as part of the program and, as I prepare to meet with these women, I am reminded of the preciousness of life and to take time to be grateful for each moment.
What are you grateful for?
Brook Montagna, Personal Life Coach & Spiritual Life Coach
9 Comments
Blog is looking great, Brook! I’m grateful for your insight and inspiration!
Grateful for many things- perfect health, the sound of rain, my family, my little dog- Sophie, great friends, lately a lot of serendipity happening- I just love it.
I am grateful for my darling little grandchildren who continue to show me how to live in the moment.
I am extremely grateful for our family’s good health
and comfort.
We are so blessed that we all live close to each other and can be together offen.
Sadly, there have been times in my life, and perhaps yours, when I could not find my way to gratitude. I wanted to feel grateful, tried to feel grateful, knew better than to not feel grateful. And yet somehow could or would not.
A couple years passed; I got sick. Over a year’s time, I got slowly better. And in those months, deep gratitude took over my consciousness. My life didn’t change much on the outside. On the inside, I became a rich woman.
This thanksgiving, I am deeply grateful for the ability to feel the bliss of deep gratitude.
We so often feel grateful FOR something. I am just so blessed to feel grateful. End of sentence.
I mean, sure, I could go on. Grateful for the rain, for my breath, for the love in my heart, for the groceries, for my neices, my health, my parents, this community, a new President- but beyond any of these things, I am just grateful.
Today I made a wish that all beings can feel this gratitude. No matter what we experience in this life, this grateful heart is the biggest gift and healer.
Thank you, Renee, for this great reminder that gratitude is a feeling we can hold, cultivate, and share without it being attached to any circumstances.
I’m so grateful to have met you, Brook, and the other wonderful women who have been such a great support to me on my mindful journey… Thank you, Brook for this beautiful site! I’m spreading it around, and I hope your wonderful insights become contagious.
Thank you Vikki! I am always amazed at the transformation in people’s lives through the practice of mindfulness and gratitude. The holidays are a wonderful time to reflect and share what we’ve learned. Thank you for sharing!
Check out what people are saying about the science behind gratitude on another blog where this was posted:
http://globalvillageschool.org/gvsblog/2008/11/29/on-gratitude/#comment-30
thanks brook for this wonderful reminder. i have been struggling to make time for feeling grateful about so many things, but suddenly the awareness is there again. it is worthwhile to spend the time to feel grateful for just sooooooo many things-friends, love ones, a job, a lovely house, good health, happiness, peace…