Gratitude is a Great Key to Happiness

Somewhere along the line someone put the thought in my brain to pray and meditate about the the things I'm thankful for. I am sure glad I did. Several times lately I have taken about ten minutes to just close my eyes and start thanking Heavenly Father for all the little and big things I'm grateful for....

Just to name a few....my nice comfortable bed, and comfortable pillow.....good books....my good friend Susie who inspires me....a husband who knows how to fix everything....the beautiful green grass and leafy trees, that just got greener with the rain....our beautiful blue pool in our back yard, with the shining water....my delicious chicken and cilantro soup that I love to make (and eat)....my beautiful and talented children, not to mention my wonderful stepchildren!!....toilet paper and tissues...good ideas...people who take the time to do something nice for me....and so much more.

When I take the time to thank Heavenly Father for all these things, it leaves me with such a good feeling, and makes me so much MORE grateful.

I quote from a nice website I found (http://www.balancedlifecenter.com/273-keys-to-happiness-gratitude/):

"Gratitude is the cheapest, most effective way to happiness."

"Gratitude affords you the opportunity to live in a positive mental state regardless of the appearances. You’re not living in denial when you choose to be thankful for what you love about your life. You do actually love it. There’s no need to falsely convince yourself that you are thankful for things you don’t want. What you do is focus almost entirely on the things that bring you joy.

"When you shift your focus and start practicing gratitude, you’ll find that you have even more to be thankful for. The more you give thanks, the more it expands. Soon you will look around and find that you have less and less in your life that you don’t want, and more of what you do want.

"Giving thanks reconditions your mind towards hopefulness and optimism. It clears out the sludge that is blocking your good from coming to you. It aligns you with Spirit and the Source of who you are. It reminds you that you will have all that you need."

I couldn't have put it better myself.

I am so happy to have found this simple, easy way to bring almost instant happiness into my life. Give it a try!