The Practice of Gratitude
If the only prayer we ever said was “Thank-you” it would be enough. – Meister Eckhardt
When we greet the new day as a gift, a sense of gratefulness can carry us through the hours that follow. The day is presented to us as something to give away to others hour by hour.
– David Steindl-Rast , Music of Silence
are in the depths of pain or grief. Ironically, it can also be difficult
to practice gratitude when life is going well. Somehow when life is
hard we tend to blame God, curse life. And when life is easy we are
more likely to grow forgetful and believe we’ve done it all ourselves.
A gratitude practice helps us remain conscious of the bigger
reality that surrounds us – a reality larger than the individual events of our lives. We can regain a wider perspective by remembering – with gratitude – the miracle that is life.
Practicing gratitude is not to deny hardship or suffering. It’s not
to be oblivious of the staggering ways we each and all fall short of
actualizing a just and peaceful world. It’s definitely not insurance
against calamity.
Julian of Norwich’s assertion that all shall be well and all shall be
well and all manner of things shall be well is not naïveté. It is not hope for certain outcomes. It is an abiding hope which is grounded in the reality of the Holy One – that no matter what is happening around us, somehow the Beloved is with us, and therefore at the deepest levels of soul, all shall be well.
This kind of hope is in symbiotic relationship with gratitude.
They affect and nourish each other. Cynthia Bourgeault writes,
“When we enter it (mystical hope) it enters us and fills us with its
own life – a quiet strength beyond anything we have ever known.”
Being grateful even for a few small things is an act of hope, and
holding hope is a critical aspect of spiritual life. This deep and abiding hope in Life and in Love – in spite of all evidence to the contrary – affects not only the quality of our individual lives but has a positive impact that ripples out around us. The practice of experiencing and expressing gratitude helps maintain our perspective, courage, and hope – all things that empower us and sustain our life-giving actions (our work) in the world.
A Gratitude Practice Opening the Day
1 Prepare – If possible rise before the sun and watch it emergeas the earth turns back towards it. Otherwise be somewhere
you can see the morning light – outside if weather and
location permit. Have a journal, sketchbook, or paper, and
writing/drawing/painting implements at hand.
2 Awaken – Begin with a prayer that awakens you to a new day.
3 Receive the gift of a new day – No matter what the circumstances
of your life, today you are here, awake and alive, to see
another day. As you inhale, consciously breathe in the life force.
As you exhale, breathe out any residual sleepiness. Breathe out
anything standing in your way of living fully in this moment of a
brand new day. Stay with your breath awhile. Immerse yourself
in the miracle of a new day. Let it soak into your bones.
4 Express your gratitude to the Author of Life – You might
do this through prayer, contemplation, writing, chanting/singing,
dancing, or drawing/painting. Offer something back in appreciation
of the life you’ve been given. A silent thank you can be enough.
5 Integrate – As you prepare to end this time of intentional
gratitude, ask for some guidance on how you might remember
to be grateful throughout the day. You may have a touchstone
word or image, or perhaps a sensation in your body.
There is actually no end to this practice. We already do it in a multitude of ways (sometimes more intentionally than others). When we take time to really see someone, or listen to someone, or appreciate beauty, it’s a form of gratitude. This practice is a reminder to build appreciation for “what is” into our days.
Use your touchstone as a reminder throughout the day.
A Gratitude Practice for Evening
1 Sit comfortably, take a few mindful breaths, and centre yourself.2 Reflect on any challenging times, people, situations, or news
from the day. Recall anything you regret doing or not doing,
and notice the thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations that
arise as you recount this experience (or experiences).
3 Breathe in and know it is life itself that enters you. Let this
life-breath bring healing, forgiveness, and love to the raw
or tender places in you. Exhale and release any residual
“negativity” from the day.
4 Reflect on the joys of the day: good news, meaningful
conversations and encounters, work well done, blessings
received. Notice the thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations
that arise as you recount these moments.
5 Breathe in, knowing it is life itself that enters you. Allow this lifebreath to inspire your gratitude for everything – challenge and
blessing. Breathe out gratitude for the gift of the day, and allow the
love, forgiveness, healing, blessing, and grace that you have received pour through you and out into the world and all those around you.
6 Express your gratitude to the Author of Life. You might do this
through prayer, contemplation, writing, chanting/singing, dancing,
or drawing/painting. Offer something back in appreciation for the
life you’ve been given. A silent thank you can be enough.
From Going Beyond Words: 10 Practices for Spiritual Unfolding by
Lois Huey-Heck. Copyright © 2010 Lois Huey-Heck, CopperHouse,
an imprint of Wood Lake Publishing Inc. Used by permission.
Copyright © Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2012 Seasons of the Spirit™ SeasonsFUSION Lent • Easter 2013 p. 87
