There’s certainly no bad time to be grateful but the time we need it most is often when we feel most challenged. No matter how dark the clouds in life, the sun beyond them never stops shining and one thing that will help dissipate them is gratitude.
Years ago I used to go on what I called gratitude walks. It was a time that I literally had nothing–no money, no home, no job, no car, no cookies! As a result of some profound spiritual experiences during this time, I also felt a sense of inner fullness unlike anything I can describe. But there were many times when I didn’t know where my next meal would come from and I would panic.
Sometimes when I felt most afraid I would just start walking giving thanks for anything and everything I could think of. “Thank you for these shoelaces. Thank you for this sidewalk for me to walk on. Thank you for the blue sky to remind me of limitlessness. Thank you for the trees gently dancing with me. Thank you for the cars that help people to do wonderful things. Thank you that I am never alone. Thank you that even though I can’t see it right now, I am infinitely cared for.” However long it would take, I would walk until I was crying because my heart was so filled with gratitude.
It’s impossible to feel truly grateful and angry, sad, afraid or alone. Gratitude is the sun and when we are determined to not let those pesky clouds stop us from seeing it, they will part.
Note: I always had everything I needed during this period of transition. They just didn’t come in the way that I was used to and often came in very unexpected and miraculous ways.
