Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Remembering To Be Grateful

I tried an experiment last night.  When I went to bed I did not lie there and obsess about things that bother me.  Instead I thought about all the people and things in my life for which I am grateful.  I think most of us have more blessings in life than trials.  Eventually I fell asleep and slept like a baby until I got the morning shove from my wife telling me it was time to get out of bed.  Many mystics and other holy people teach us that we should live with a grateful heart.  The difference between obsessing over our unhappiness and being grateful for our blessings is attitude.  Our minds are powerful and it is challenging to keep them under control.  Unattended our mind can take us to many places we do not want to go.  This is why most meditation centers around the mind and our thoughts.  As I said yesterday, the Buddha teaches that most of our suffering comes from our own minds.  The Christian way is the way of the heart.  The way of the heart is the path of gratefulness.  Every time today that you experience something that is not exactly what you want, counterbalance that experience with a thought of gratitude.  We all have troubles, some more than others, but the least of us, and even those with the least, can find something in our lives for which to be grateful.  As a start, if you are reading these thoughts, you are alive.  Start there.  Be grateful for life.      
 

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