Through the eyes of gratitude, everything is a miracle.
-Mary Davis
Dearest Friends,
It’s officially been about a year since my last message. While this year long break turned out to be for a longer duration of time and for a much greater purpose than I had originally planned, it is with a grateful heart that I message you now.
Some of you may know by now that during this break I discovered I was pregnant and have since become the mother of a precious baby girl. I could not be more ecstatic. She is the sweetest gift that I never even knew was possible.
Life has a way of surprising us when we least expect it and it is how we view to those surprises that can ultimately determine whether the surprise will be framed a blessing or burden.
The powerful practice of incorporating gratitude into our daily lives can posture our heart to see and receive blessings and miracles. This can be as simple aswhispering a silent prayer of gratitude to God at the beginning and end of every day or even keeping a gratitude journal.
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.” – Melanie Beattie
By viewing the world around us with a lens of gratitude we experience a shift in our perspective. When this shift happens we can operate with a little more grace. Gratitude can take what is mundane and turn it into blessing. Gratitude can take that which is painful and transform it into an opportunity for growth and connection.
As you take a moment to reflect over the past year, what comes up?
What of those things can you view through a lens of gratitude?
What miracles have you experienced in the past year?
Gratitude, like all things, takes practice. Naturally our brains are wired to find the faults in ourselves and in others. This is referred to as automatic negative thinking (ANTS). This is a protective mechanism and is completely normal. Our brains take note of things it considers dangerous in efforts to avoid them. However, if you notice in life, what you focus on tends to happen more. For example, when playing any sport, you want to look at your target. The same goes for gratitude. To notice the blessings in life, we have to practice purposely looking at the things for which we are grateful. When we do, more opportunites for gratitude appear. To practice, simply take note when the ANTS appear and practice shifting your mindset by drawing your attention towards something for which you can be grateful.
This year I'm leaning more into gratitude for each moment spent with my two children. One who is 16 and is going on 30 and the other who is 6 months now. Each moment is so incredibly precious with each of them.
I wish you all the warmest wishes this Thanksgiving holiday. It has been such a beautiful honor sharing this journey with all of you and I am immensely grateful for all the lessons we have learned together over the years.
Sending so much love,
xoxo
Rhonda
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