Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas
Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. Henry Ward Beecher
This is my last post for 2022. It is time to reflect on the past and set goals for the future. Last year I chose a word for the year and I chose grateful. It has been a wonderful year with our circle enlarging, our grandson joining our family, our son getting married, and we have continued to live in health amongst peace and plenty.
I added to my list of self-published books, and I look forward to publishing more in 2023. It is time to make goals but many things we want in life we aren’t in control of. Everything has its season and if our goal is something that is not yet in its season then we might feel let down by life.
If we are grateful for what we have, grateful things aren’t worse when things don’t go our way, and grateful for the good in other people’s lives then we may find joy and contentment. The word I am choosing to focus on in 2023 will be gratitude.
What is the difference between grateful and gratitude? Some say gratitude is to joy what grateful is to happiness. Joy is a state of being, a choosing to “be” regardless of circumstances; whereas happiness and being grateful can come and go based on situations and circumstances. If this is the difference then last year by choosing grateful I chose happiness which can be fleeting, and this year by choosing gratitude I choose joy, a state of being.
Gratitude is the single most important ingredient to living a successful and fulfilled life. Jack Canfield
Being grateful is followed by a “thank you” while gratitude is a constant state of being. Gratitude and gratefulness are reflections of each other that create ripples of happiness when embraced. I found this on a website by Official Miss Val.
We must consistently choose the right thinking, right words, and right actions. It is not what we choose to do one time that will make a big difference in our lives. It is consistently making the right choice that pays dividends. If we can embrace the attitude that we will never tire of doing what is right, this will also mean we must forgive ourselves and others when we slip up, which we will because we are human.
We may struggle to be grateful, and think we should be more grateful than we are. We know we have a lot to be grateful for but … Maybe we need to ask for help to cultivate our attitude of gratitude. The Bible in James 4:2 says, “You do not have, because you do not ask.”
Gratitude creates the most wonderful feeling. It can resolve disputes. It can strengthen friendships. And it makes us better men and women. Gordon B. Hinckley
Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts. Henri Frederic Amiel
Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. William Arthur Ward
Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.
