“My fantasy perfection turned into a nightmare, lost, alone, shaking, hopeless & helpless.”

“It seems our brains are wired to notice interruptions or changes in our daily grind. Scientists call this mechanism “negativity bias.” So as I fall asleep at night, I’ve been creating gratitude lists in my mind. And miracles happen! I wake up in the morning grateful for my health, the opportunity to help, for the present moment, for the challenges, for teachers, family & friends. Being grateful blossoms into Being grateful for everything! Today, God, thanks for giving deeper meaning to my challenges through newfound forgiveness, acceptance, compassion, and love.”

Adapted from Skunked by Gratitude

“Life is not always easy, and it is certainly never perfect. Indeed, we all suffer the hardships of life. Let’s just for this moment bring to mind all the excellent conditions that we are fortunate to have in our lives. When we spend the time to meditate on the things we can be thankful for, then we begin to appreciate that our life is truly a precious opportunity. It’s up to you. Although the line is very thin, it takes extraordinary skill and profound wisdom to traverse the path from one side to the other—to dissolve the division itself, from problem & struggle to gratitude & peace.

Adapted from Mahāmudrā

“Say a prayer of thanksgiving to God . . .. The day you can be grateful for every single trifle in your life, for the moving train, for the water that runs down a tap when you open it, for the light that comes on when you press a switch, for clean sheets on your bed … your heart will be filled with a deep contentment and with almost continual joy. The secret of being always joyful is to be always grateful.”

Adapted from Sadhana

Meditation for the Day “Gratitude to God is the theme of Thanksgiving Day. The pilgrims gathered to give thanks to God for their harvest, which was pitifully small. When we look around at all the things we have today, how can we help being grateful to God? Our families, our homes, our friends, our fellowship: all these things are free gifts of God to us. "But for the grace of God," we would not have them. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may be very grateful today. I pray that I may not forget where I might be but for the grace of God.”

Adapted from Twenty-Four Hours a Day© 1975, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.