Sunday February 14, 2010 Day 14

Having a Grateful Attitude
Today to me was having a grateful attitude about things in your life no matter what the circumstances.
Most people who are reaching the end of their lives know how important it is to be grateful for little things that we often take for granted. They know what it means to have a grateful heart.
Doing Hospice for eight years I have seen people with less than twenty four hours who have a big smile on their face and are just grateful that they have just one more day .
I experienced it personally in 2007 when my mother in law was dying. I had asked her when she was diagnosed in January what she wanted more than anything before she passed. She said she wanted a Mothers Day with her kids and grandkids, so I went about putting it together.
She lived in California so I called each boy and made sure they arranged days off work and we all had plane tickets way in advance .
I truly believe that it is the only reason she lived that long. We had her Mothers Day and she died the very next day. She had been in and out of it the day prior but the day of she was very lucid and was sitting up on the couch and was able to visit with each one. She also was aware of everything that was going on. And remarkably that very day she was in very little pain. I know that day was a gift.
She had hope the whole four months that she lived. And she was grateful for each card, each visitor , and each day.
Being grateful means to count the positives instead of the negatives. Gratitude can heal us spiritually and emotionally. It opens up our hearts to God and enables us to experience life to the fullest. It can increase our capacity to love.
Ingratitude does the opposite.It causes our hearts to become cold and blocks the flow of Gods wisdom and also blocks our blessings. Whenever I am negative I feel like God is disappointed in me . I feel like it is a slap in His face after all He has blessed me with.
I fully appreciate every minute he has given me , living life to the fullest.
My husband and I keep a gratefullness journal. each night before we go to bed we come up with at least five things that we are grateful for .It might be as large as a new job or even just a nap!
That is thrity five things a week and one hundred fourty a month! When you have a down day you have that to look through and see how blessed you are!
It keeps us walking in gratefulness . And helps the attitude of the glass half full.