The Power of Gratitude

When my older son was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, my first reaction was relief ? I finally knew the reason for his behavior. However, I was also overwhelmed with sadness, fear and anger. I felt sorry for my son and for myself. Like many others in similar circumstances, my question to God was "Why me?"

Through the grace of God, I am now able to focus on my gratitude. I believe God chose me to raise my son because He knew that I would give him the best I have. He will teach me to love and understand him for who he is. I am grateful that I have my son, and grateful that God chose me to be his mother.

There is power and healing in gratitude.

How can gratitude help us in our everyday lives as moms? Think about the difference you can make in your family's life just by noticing and being thankful for all the great things they do. When you express gratitude, you show your love and appreciation. Everyone needs to feel these things every day. Sometimes as moms we feel that no one appreciates us ? and it is true that moms are usually last on the list to be thanked. One way you can teach gratitude is by example. Even on the days when it seems your children or husband are doing everything wrong, find a reason to thank them. Take the time and energy to look for the good. Think about the things that your family does that deserve a thank you. You might say to your husband, "Thank you for working so hard for our family," or, to your child, "I really appreciate your sense of humor ? it feels good to laugh." Expressing your gratitude helps family members to understand how it feels to be appreciated. And if they still don't catch on, let them know when you feel unappreciated. You can also tell them how great it makes you feel when they do express gratitude.

Gratitude is a wonderful motivator when you need cooperation. When enlisting the help of my two year old, I praise him often and with enthusiasm. I let him know that he is a great helper. I know I am teaching him appreciation because he expresses it to me. The other day I brought a bunch of multi-colored roses home. For five days, at least once or twice a day, my son thanked me for the flowers.

Sometimes we get so busy and caught up in daily life that we forget to be grateful. We expect everyone to do their share without being asked. The only time anyone hears anything is when a chore has not been completed. This attitude, over the long haul, will develop very resentful and uncooperative family members.

When life is good, gratitude is easy. It becomes more challenging to be grateful when we are experiencing hard times. Financial hardship, long-term illness, the death of a loved one and marital strife can all be trying and difficult. It is hard to find anything to be grateful for. But while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. We have a choice in how we view our circumstances. We can turn our hearts to God and trust that he has a plan for us. We can be thankful for the lessons we learn and the opportunities for personal growth and transformation. Look at all the people in this world who share the gifts they received during especially difficult times of their life. It is the painful times of my life that have made me stronger, wiser, and more loving today.

I recently attended a powerful seminar on the various levels of energy that a human being emanates. The presenter identified seven different levels of energy. The first level of energy is defined by feelings of apathy and thoughts of victimization. A person at a level two energy has feelings of anger and thoughts of conflict. As a person moves up the energy scale, their feelings and thoughts are more positive. At level seven, one would experience unconditional love and no judgmental thoughts. Only God radiates at level seven. The average person emits energy at a level of 2.5. To experience peace and joy, an individual must raise his energy level to 5 or 6.

So how can we raise our energy level and open our heart to joy? One powerful way is to develop an attitude of gratitude. Look at everyone with grateful eyes. Listen to your heart and the heart of your loved ones. Speak words of affirmation every day of your life. Be grateful for your life with all its lessons and blessings. The more grateful thoughts and feelings you experience and express the more instrumental you will be in healing the world. And your outlook on life will improve in the process.

Lori Radun, certified life coach for moms. Get her FREE monthly ezine for moms who want healthier and happier lives at http://www.true2youlifecoaching.com

© 2005 True to You Life Coaching, LLC

---

Reclaiming Our Resilient Spirit

Our spirits are taking a beating. The daily barrage of... Read More

Anchors Away!

If we want to fill our heads with the doom... Read More

Who Is Wallace Wattles and Why Is He One of My Mentors and Heroes?

Who is Wallace Wattles? Wallace D. Wattles died over 90... Read More

Discovering The Art of Bending Your Mindset And Manifesting Your Multiple Intelligences

Discovering the Art of Bending Your Mindset and Manifesting your... Read More

The Dot

We have all grown up in an age where exploration... Read More

Powerful Caretakers - Taking Good Care of Ourselves First

Our community consists of powerful caretakers. We do a great... Read More

Change is the Only Constant

The physics professor with the unruly shock of white hair... Read More

The Nature of Anger

Excerpt From The Relationship Handbook: How to Understand and Improve... Read More

What Forgiveness Is Not

Is a grudge-laden heart sabotaging your success in business and... Read More

Being Fruitful

Over the years I've learned to challenge my audiences to... Read More

A Feline Example On Courage

Fangs. Killer claws. Hisses, grrrs...and later, yelps. Who is not... Read More

If You Were an Angel... What Would You Do?

If you were an Angel what could you do to... Read More

Dreams and Desires, Wants and Wishes Journals

Have you ever dreamed of a new house? Have you... Read More

Pride Goeth

Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 25,... Read More

America, A Depository Of The Gifts Of The World

Wow, it's a new year and a new millennium! What... Read More

Lock In Your Legacy

You, my friend, are going to die.What? What kind of... Read More

Aftermath of a Child?s Near Death Experience

An 18 month-old girl lay dying of diphtheria in January... Read More

What We Believe We Create - Love is the Creation

I once was told by the Angels that our concept... Read More

Maternal Instincts

Direct Answers - Column for the week of October 14,... Read More

Consulting Your Soul

Recently I approached a traffic light where a man stood... Read More

Five Minutes Before the Miracle

Even though this article was next on my idea list,... Read More

Blessings for the Soul

In Corrogue I count my Blessings.These are numerous. There is... Read More

Have You Been Lucky In Life?

Each moment in life, "lucky" or "unlucky", is to be... Read More

Commitment To The Journey

I have been a business owner for about a minute.... Read More

Energy Work Basics Part 1: So What is Energy?

Everything is made of energy. Atoms, molecules, light, sound and... Read More

Is Transformation Worth the Effort?

Soaring 700 feet above the forest floor is a granite... Read More

Time for Sunshine

Having spring around makes you feel different after such a... Read More

Accept Every Invitation

How often do you decline an invitation because you have... Read More

Keep On Believing

It has been said that a man is what he... Read More

Why Be Great?

Have you ever thought of what it would take to... Read More

What is Your Recovery Rate?

What is your recovery rate? How long does it take... Read More

Making the Most of Your Peak and Off-peak Times

What is the most essential part of your business? You... Read More

Extreme Self Care

EXTREME is not a term usually connected to self-care. Self-care... Read More