The Grace of Gratitude: Day 8

Gratitude as a Grace: Day 8.
—21 Days of Gratitude: Awakening the Heart

I have been pondering the title of Angeles Arrien’s book, Living in Surrender, which is the inspiration for these 21 Days of Gratitude.

It strikes me that the title uses the word in gratitude, and not with gratitude. When we live in something we allow ourselves to live deeply, to be immersed and absorbed. It’s not enough to make a list of what we are thankful for; we have to sink into the depth of our being and let gratitude be the roots of our lives.

I woke up this morning with familiar habit thoughts of comparison moving through me–but I was able to move through them, as I recited my morning prayer: Dear God, thank you for bringing me to this new day. Thank you for the rest and the sleep I received. May I love you today in all that I do, all that I say, all that I feel think, and all that I feel. 

“The Latin root of the word gratitude is grata or gratia–a given gift–and from this same root we get our word grace, which means a gift freely given that is unearned,” writes Arrien in Living in Gratitude. 

Yes, thank you Dear One for the gift of a new day. 

As we end our first week of gratitude awareness, let us take courage, and trust that we are building new habits and new responses that can transform our lives through grateful seeing, through practicing the Breath of Thanks, through faithfully keeping our gratitude journal, and through saying thank you in a sincere and authentic way.

We choose to have faith that we are strengthening our new habit of gratitude and thankfulness, and that God is right there with us every step of the way.

Check out this lovely site to encourage and enrich your gratitude practice.

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Gratitude Journal for Day 8:

• Pause. Settle into the moment.
• Open your heart in gratitude.
• List 5 or more moments, experiences, or things you are grateful for today.
• Amen

Cover of my gratitude journal