From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – The gratitude challenge is around the corner, and I am a believer in the magic of present thanks.
Just like the meditation guru who said, “Try to meditate for twenty minutes per day unless you are very busy, then do it for an hour,” I think the same principle applies with gratitude. There are some days when everything seems to go wrong, and there is just no moment in the day when gratitude feels right.
On those days, write down a few extra items on your gratitude list: fresh coffee, comfy bed, favourite breakfast cereal, hearing a child’s laughter.
On the busy, grumpy, and or sad days take a deep breath – yes whatever is wrong does not disappear, but the pause offers a little free reset where you can visualize the fresh air rejuvenating the weight of whatever – then in the pause think about even just one thing that makes you happy, that you love, that you are thankful was part of your day.
I can have busy days with challenging issues, like all of us, but I always say that I am thankful for my family, fresh coffee and the invention of chocolate. Connect for a moment to the joys, and then dive back in knowing that that still moment of fresh air and gratitude is available to you for free, any time that you need it again.
While this approach is not a magic wand to somehow remove the mountain of laundry, the bills, the meeting schedule or the current crisis, it is a moment that is all yours in the quiet.
Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Pexels.com
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I am not good at meditating and admire my colleagues in ministry who take the time to light a candle, engage in prayer time and quiet time. I read my blogs – yours, Richard Rohr, Sharon Ballantyne and get my daily dosse from Sojourners. I think my walks are my meditation time but sometimes I ignore those when I am too busy. Lately, too busy is all too common. I need to try harder or take some time to shut out the world.
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