G: Gratitude, Gifts
“Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy—because we will always want to have something else or something more.” Brother David Steindl-Rast
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” Cicero
“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.” Eric Hoffer
“To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.” Johannes A. Gaertner
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melodie Beattie
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was "thank you," that would suffice.” Meister Eckhart
Because of my Christian upbringing I was always taught to be thankful for all the things that God has bestowed upon us. I am glad for this, because I have found out that when the storms of life hit you at full force, gratitude might not be the first thing you think about, but trust me, it’s an absolute life-saver. Being thankful has helped me sail through those turbulent waters that come my way…and I am stronger because of it.
Yes, no doubt it’s hard to be grateful in this materialistic world that we live in—always wishing I had a bigger car, a bigger house, a nicer stereo, a newer Yamaha Clavinova (hee hee), more money, etc. I’ve learnt my lesson—not to give in to this, because God gives us just what is enough…and then some. Blessings are not tied only to material and worldly things. I am thankful for my health (especially my eyes!), my family and relatives, my friends, etc. I wake up each day and I say a humble thank you to the Lord for another day. I go to bed every night and I say the same thing again. A thankful heart is a happy heart.
I will always remember and treasure this little nugget of wisdom someone told me when I was a young boy: “I used to complain that I didn’t have any shoes to wear, until I saw a person who had no feet.”
This video called The Miniature Earth always has me choked up. Watch it, and be thankful, my fellow readers. God bless you all.
“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.” Anthony Robbins
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" William Ward
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” Babatunde Olatunji
“Everyone is gifted—but some people never open their package.” Unknown
For me my gift is music, particularly playing the piano. The best part I feel, is when I share this gift out with others. Whether it’s teaching the piano to students, or playing the piano at the hotel…’tis a joy. And there are also many other gifts that we all have…the gifts of kindness, gratitude, and compassion, to name a few. These gifts reside inside us—it’s up to each one of us to decide whether to allow them to come out from within our souls.
I’m also not going to deny not liking physical gifts. After all, I gave myself a birthday present not too long ago. However, the most wonderful gifts don’t require money to buy, and that’s why they are so special—a gift of friendship, a gift of love, a gift of caring…ah, it just warms my heart!
Tags: birthday, gifts, giving, God, gratitude, Music, piano, The Miniature Earth
Sometimes it’s hard to remember we are each blessed in our own ways. It’s good to see a reminder.