It is February the month when we remember our Valentine. We are also in Lent with Easter coming in March. So, I ask you again, “What are you grateful for”? If you are grateful for anything, do you show gratitude? Couldn’t find who wrote this story many have told it.
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which read, “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few coins in the hat-spare change from folks as they hurried past. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. Then he took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. Then he put the sign back in the boy’s hand so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon, the man who had changed the sign returned to see how things were going. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?” The man said,” I only wrote the truth, I said what you said but in a different way.” I wrote, “Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it.” Both signs spoke the truth. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind, while the second sign conveyed to everyone walking by how grateful they should be to see….
Practicing gratitude can be a game changer. It has far reaching effects, from improving our mental health to boosting our relationships with others. Living your life with gratitude helps you notice the little things, your car starting in the morning, a stranger holding the door for you, the sun shining through your window when you wake up in the morning. Each of these small moments strings together to create a habit of noticing the good. Building the capacity for gratitude isn’t difficult. It just takes practice. The more you bring your attention to that which you feel grateful for, the more you’ll notice to feel grateful. We need to affirm the good things we’ve received and acknowledge the role other people play in providing our lives with goodness.
Start to take note how often you say thank you. Do you appreciate the people around you? Your job, your perks at your job and how lucky you are to have a place to go and earn money, which we all need. If you work from home, are you grateful for the benefits of that. Your family, your husband, wife, partner, or children, and friends. How often do you say thank you even if it is just that they have committed to be with you in this life. Make a planned time in the day to practice gratitude. On days when gratitude feels difficult to find, look around you and within you.
Gratitude is a heart-centered approach to being at peace with yourself and with all you have. When you practice this feeling of gratitude, it attracts even more things into your life to be grateful for.
Smile, take a breath, and look for the positive and thank God for all He has given us….. There I started for you.
In Gratefulness,
Rev. Walter Coy