The Power of Gratitude

As we headed out for our walk this morning, with each breath I took in the majesty of the outdoors where we live. I looked at each tall Sahuaro and how unique each one was. My first trip here, my driver educated me on the Sahuaro and how they are protected by law. I believe they built the community where we live now, around the existing ones. They live about 150 to 200 years. The cacti grow their first arm at around 75 years old. To the native people, they believe they are their deceased relatives watching over them, comforting them. Where I grew up, there were no cacti, and this land was unfamiliar to me. Interestingly enough, those in spirit who directed me here definitely influenced my arrival here. (I shared this already in another newsletter.) I was amazed how I easily connected with this place. Every day, I walk and it is sacred to me. It is amazing how each landscape, the flora, fauna and life from animals to insects are all living interconnected in a patterning. We are all connected and I feel it deeply. While I have felt this in other places in the world, this is a unique feeling.

I thought for a moment about how grateful I am to be here and how wonderful it has been. I then felt my heart go out to the people in Florida who have been affected by the current weather and all those living in difficult situations around our world today. As an empath and a deep feeling one, it was important to me to sort out how I could feel happy when so many were suffering. When I learned that, I also learned how to work with my energy field to be a channel for love and a healing presence. I came a long way, as I used to be unable to just watch the news. It used to make me cry terribly. I learned how to use my energy field in a useful and positive way. It never made sense to me to compare and say, wow I’m doing so much better than… I’m grateful. For instance, eat your dinner. There are starving children in China for one. At four years old, I’d think, why can’t we just send them my dinner then?

Each of us holds a power within to not only thrive in our own life, but to affect our world positively. All changes start at home and within.

The power of gratitude cannot be underrated! I like to play what I call the gratitude game. I think about so many things that are easily taken for granted, and I invoke my gratitude out loud. When I was injured and living life as a disabled person, I thought I’d take nothing for granted again. When the hot water heater went out, I thought about how grateful I was for hot water as I took the first shower. It is part of the human condition to take what we have for granted and easily focus on what we want. We are here to create and expand ourselves in different ways. It is our spiritual or being nature that is grateful and our human will always benefit from invoking gratitude. My understanding now is that we need to invoke our gratitude every day. Our gratitude affects our personal vibration with the world. If you practice gratitude every day, then you know the power of gratitude. If not, why not try the gratitude game for yourself and do it for a week or two and see if it helps you? Let me know how it goes.

PS If you are super interested to read more about the Sahuaro, I've included a blog post from Shannon whom I don't know; I just loved the title of her blog and this one. Just paste into browser if link doesn't work: https://travelhummingbirds.wordpress.com/2020/07/10/saguaro-cactus/