Dear friends,
I am sure we have all heard and read about the many benefits attached to the practice of gratitude.
An attitude of gratitude for all we have helps to keep our view of life in perspective.
Remembering all the things for which we are grateful allows us to navigate the ups and downs of our days with a happiness that transmits to other people and it contributes to the well-being of everyone we come across.
Numerous studies have shown that practicing gratitude can significantly improve our own well-being.
Being thankful for what we have increases positive emotions and it opens our eyes to the good things in life.
When we offer a sincere thank you to other people they feel appreciated and encouraged and relationships are improved.
Acknowledging all that is going well in our lives helps to counterbalance the downsides of any negative events or experiences that we have to face.
And instead of finding ourselves resentful toward people who have more than we have,
Gratitude allows us to genuinely appreciate and celebrate other people's successes.
The longest life is short and we are all in this together.
So let's share one another's joy and not feel resentful.
Practicing gratitude boosts our own feeling of optimism.
It shifts our focus from something that shifts our focus from something that might be upsetting in our lives just now to an awareness of all the many things that are going well for us.
To experience gratitude we need to slow down for a change.
We must be more present in the moment,
Acknowledging the good things that are happening to us right now.
Happy to say there are many suggestions and aids available in this endeavour,
All of them encouraging us in this good practice.
The basic one is the gratitude journal before bed.
We are told that entering up a gratitude journal before bed,
Taking note of even three things for which we're thankful for today,
This can lead us to a more restful sleep since it encourages positive and calming thoughts.
In this talk I want to suggest one idea that you might like to put into effect.
You can call it your happiness jar.
To create a happiness jar you only require the following.
First of all a glass jar,
One of the many that we find sitting in every kitchen.
And you will need to cut up some small pieces of paper for use with the jar.
If you have a facility for printing labels that will add a professional touch,
But handwritten labels will do fine.
The idea is to take your jar,
Label it and keep it and the slips of paper somewhere where it will be seen.
On the front of your jar stick a label with four words in the heading.
The four words are the gift of joy.
Underneath these words you might like to add an image of a happy face.
And under the happy face the words your happiness jar.
At the foot of the label you might like to add a quote such as the following from Meister Eckhart.
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you,
It will be enough.
It will be enough.
Turning now to the back of the jar you might like to affix another label.
These are the suggested words for label number two.
Keep this jar as a happiness stroke gratitude storage centre.
Keep some small sheets of paper and a pencil or a pen beside it.
When something happens which makes you happy or something arises for which you feel grateful,
Write a note,
Fold it and pop it into the jar.
At the end of a year or earlier if you're feeling a little down,
Open your jar and take a few minutes to look through the notes.
You'll be reminded of so much unrecalled happiness,
Unrecalled happiness,
So much to be thankful for that can pass us by unnoticed.
Benefits missed unless we stop to remember our daily blessings.
And that is simply it.
Instructions for your very own happiness jar.
Your own little happiness time capsule.
Remember to rummage there if ever you feel low.
Take out four or five slips of paper and you'll see reminders there of some of the many good things that have happened to you.
In difficult times this practice will act as a reminder to you that this too shall pass.
And having experienced the benefit of this little aid to gratitude,
Why not make use of some of those glass jars lying around unused in your home.
Make up little gifts of joy that cost almost nothing.
You can give these to family members and friends and spread the gift of happiness that comes from the practice of gratitude.
I'd like to end this talk with a quote which is circulating widely on the internet and attributed to an unknown author.
You might have come across it in your exploration of the subject of gratitude.
I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
The taxes I pay because it means I am employed.
A lawn that needs mowing,
Windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.
My shadow who watches me work because it means I'm out in the sunshine.
The spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.
All of the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.
The fact that I have a home because it means I have a home.
The fact that I have a home because it means we have freedom of speech.
My huge heating bill because it means I am warm.
The lady beside me in church who sings off-key because it means I can hear.
The alarm that goes off early in the morning hours because it means I am alive.
The piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.
Weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive.
Wishing you all the very best in your practice of gratitude,
Your life-giving,
Your life-changing practice of gratitude.
Namaste.
