21 days of Gratitude: Awakening the Heart
21 days of Gratitude: Awakening the Heart.
We begin this month of November remembering our ancestors and those that have touched our lives with All Souls’ Day. I attended a beautiful Mass at Saint Ignatius Church, here in San Francisco, with over 100 musicians and singers performing Mozart’s Requiem.
One special person I’d like to acknowledge is Angeles Arrien, who was a true inspiration and leader as an educator, author, and anthropologist. As I was re-reading her book, Living in Gratitude, I realized again how foundational gratitude is to our lives. I love the breath and depth this book gives to the subject.
With Angeles as my inspiration, I begin this new blog series: 21 days of Gratitude: Awakening the Heart.
The other day, I was having lunch with a good friend, who is struggling with a recent change in her life. During our conversation, she leaned into the table and said: I noticed that once I turned on the switch of gratitude things began to change–maybe not outside, but inside of me, and that has made all the difference.
I am in need of awakening gratitude in me, and I invite you to follow along, and enjoy the gifts of a grateful heart.
I start this series, with the first quote from the Introduction in Angeles’s book:
If the only prayer you say in your whole life is “thank You,” that would suffice.
—Meister Eckhart
As we journey together during these 21 days, I invite and encourage you to keep a gratitude journal. I started mine today, and I felt something in me begin to wake up.
My journal is a small 2″ x 4″ notebook, in which I jotted down five things I was grateful for today, including being grateful that I was willing to acknowledge my feelings. Gratitude is an inclusive response to our lives, allowing us to embrace our lives, with gentleness, self acceptance and loving kindness.
Gratitude Journal: Day 1
- Pause. Take a few deeper breaths and settle into the moment.
- Open your heart in gratitude
- Write five things you are grateful for today.
I suggest you keep your journal accessible, even carry it with you in your bag if you like. You can write in it any time of day, and fill yourself with gratitude as you make your daily list.