Are we grateful because we are happy or are we happy because we are grateful? According to Brother David Steindl-Rast, “The root of joy is gratefulness. It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.”
What do you think?? Here are some other quotes.
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
―Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose
And one of my favorites from “Annie Get Your Gun,”
“Got no checkbooks, got no banks. Still I’d like to express my thanks – I’ve got the sun in the mornin’ and the moon at night.”―Irving Berlin
As I think about the past year, I have much to be grateful for. Like many of you I have lost family members—human and canine. Still, I have gratitude that they were in my life.
Like some of you, I have experienced Covid. I am grateful for vaccines and modern medicines that mitigated the symptoms.
And you are probably like me in that you are not living in a mansion, so we didn’t win the lottery this year. But I am also not homeless. I have appreciation for the roof over my head and the food on my table.
One huge note of gratitude goes to my employer who gave me the opportunity to get coaching to transition through the obstacles from our work. Through this self-reflection I found the courage to follow through with writing a book and this blog. I have also been blessed to meet some creative and kind people who have encouraged and shared their wonderful ideas and time with me.
We may not be able to control everything that happens to us, but we absolutely have a choice of what we do with what happens. Do we get angry? Do we fall into depression? Maybe—but hopefully we process everything and decide to move forward in gratitude and positivity as I was able to do with the help of some great coaches.
Here’s another quote about positivity:
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”―A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Some days there may not seem to be much to fill our hearts but if we look we can find something to be grateful for. What, exactly does gratitude mean? Thankfulness? These are some words I found in the dictionary and thesaurus. We probably don’t need a real definition of gratitude and thankfulness but focusing on these words gave me a new appreciation—which is also gratitude.
“Whatever you appreciate and give thanks for will increase in your life.”
―Sanaya Roman, Living with Joy: Keys to Personal Power and Spiritual Transformation
It struck me that one definition of “appreciate” can mean to grow in value. Here are some other words that relate to gratitude and thanksgiving.
Esteem—who or what do you esteem?
Respect—who or what do you respect?
Prize—can you identify what you prize in life?
Cherish—who do you cherish?
Treasure—Where are your true treasures?
Value—What brings value/meaning to your life?
Roger Storer in “Thank You Cancer. IOU.” was able to recognize and share these truths in the midst of his battle with cancer.
“Thank you is the shortest prayer in the world, but true gratitude is not only expressed in words but also by acting and living in appreciation of our blessings. The act of living in gratitude generates more good fortune and the cycle continues. … Gratitude is your symphony. You are the composer, the orchestra and conductor. The world is your audience. Take a bow.”
Reflect on these quotes and definitions as you go through the holiday season and ask yourself, are you grateful because you are happy or are you happy because you are grateful?