I've been thinking a lot about Gratitude lately. A guy I sponsor used this weekend and talking to him tonight made me SOOOO Grateful for the surrender I found that has made my own recovery possible. As a Spiritual Principle, Gratitude has what seems to me to be a nearly unique quality- it has the power to transform any situation merely by its introduction. For example, Gratitude can tranform a sandwich and some chips into what seems like a feast. It can change a small room in a shelter or recovery house into someone's home. It can even turn a room full of society's misfits and castoffs into a loving family. Gratitude enhances any other Principle it is combined with and gives it a completely new and different quality. Gratitude is also an Attitude, and when I'm grateful for being clean, have a much better chance of STAYING clean. One more thing, Gratitude is not only a Principle and an Attitude, it's also one of the two most important Spiritual Practices that I can participate in because it acknowledges the existence of my Higher Power. If I'm Grateful for something, then that implies that I'm Grateful to something or someone. The other Spiritual Practice is Forgiveness. Gratitude is how I acknowledge God, Forgiveness is how I emulate God. It IS divine to forgive. I just wanted to share a little Gratitude for being clean today. Thanks for letting me ramble, I'll keep coming. Dan H.
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"With a sweet tongue of kindness, you can drag an elephant by a hair." ~Persian Proverb
just awesome Dan. borrowing from perhaps the greatest football coach ever- "Gratitude [winning] isn't everything, it's the only thing"- Vincent Lombardi
I have always heard, Gratitude is an action word. There's the saying too in the literature, "My gratitude speaks when I care, and when I share with others the NA way."
Gratitude is something I struggle with on most days honestly. I realized a while back that there's a huge difference between saying I'm grateful for something and FEELING I'm grateful for something.
I strive for the feeling. Because it's like the difference between thinking and doing. I can think and say I'm grateful, but when I feel grateful I'm doing the action of it. I'm tapping into the spiritual part when I feel grateful.
Like I said, not something I do everyday. I know I do my best and that's good enough.
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"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." ~Oscar Wilde~
