Gratitude is Healing: Day 14

Gratitude is Healing: Day 14.
–21 Days of Gratitude: Awakening the Heart

Gratitude is healing, and we bring that healing to our world today, as our hearts are disturbed and heavy from recent events . I take courage in the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, who in the face of great loss and tragedy from the Vietnam War, has taught us that We are Peace; that Peace is Every Step. 

How can our gratitude practice bring healing to ourselves, our families, and a broken world? 

Last night my husband and I had a long discussion about gratitude, and I loved when he said that the blog series is really a series on “grappling with gratitude.” We must be honest in our gratitude pursuit unless it will not reach deep into our cells, into our innermost being and awaken our hearts.

My husband honestly told me that my expression of frustration around work seemed at odds with my gratitude practice. This gave me an opportunity to reflect on the truth that our frustrations and our gratitude practice co-exist. And my hope is that as more gratitude awakens in me, it will soften and ease the frustration. Pause and reflect on where your frustrations are intersecting with your gratitude practice. 

So for today, let’s commit to letting our gratitude practice be a healing force in ourselves, our families, and the world around us.

“Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. Every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

Gratitude Journal for Day 13:

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