Great bit of research I heard or read somewhere in the last few days (can’t remember where!!) is that gratitude is a great recipe for good mental health.
It immediately made me think of a friend who is paraplegic after nearly dying in a severe accident. She is enormously grateful for tiny details of her life and exudes a vibrantly positive attitude and enjoyment of living. Her daily life must involve limitations and dealing with challenges that most of us would be horrified to face yet her persistently grateful attitude floats her right over the top of all this and she is a joy to be around.
We have a practice at our dinner table of always beginning with a shared prayer of thankfulness for people and events in our day. This has continued over the years and we’ve never stopped because I think at some level we are aware that it is a deeply healthy practice to carry out consistently.
I’ve been through some very hard times in my life and some days I had to search for the tiniest thing to feel thankful for but that search was important and that tiny detail precious. It kept me inching forward if ever so slowly towards reclaiming a vibrant life.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my heart with you.