Practicing Gratitude

one who planted the tree. This lovely ancient proverb from Vietnam reminds us about something we already know, the importance of feeling gratitude for the good people and the good fortune in our lives, no matter how large or small. We are living in uncertain and unsettling times, and to survive and to thrive we do need calm, rngth, conviction, intelligence, resilience, and I believe we need gratitude because no one does

this alone. Hopefully, there are in all of our lives ordinary and extraordinary blessings that we must never fail to appreciate and embrace. Maybe we have children or grandchildren, or parents or grandparents or a beloved dog or cat who need our love and attention, or we have a job

that demands our passion and persistence. Or perhaps we've had people in our life in the past, or we have them today for whom we are deeply grateful, people who were there for us when times got tough, times when we needed to talk to someone, and we're just hearing their voice, just hearing the pure happiness in their hello on the phone was enough to lift our spirits, as

I have done in the past. I want to share with you some of my favorite words and poems from people I admire so much about gratitude, about resilience, and about the inner light of every human being. Albert Schweitzer was an extraordinary human being, medical doctor and surgeon, author, Man of the Cloth, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in nineteen fifty two. I love his quote on gratitude. I repeat it all the time. At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from

another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. One underlying message of gratitude is that we should appreciate whatever gift comes our way, be it grand or modest. Happiness comes from the acceptance. As the Buddhist proverb advises, enough is a feast. When I grew up, my parents used to tell me that the best way to give is to give without any ex affectations of a thank you in return. The Persian poet have Fees expresses this

joy in these few short words. Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, you owe me. Look what happens with a love like that? It lights

the whole sky. And finally, as we've always been told, true happiness lies within, And the greatest gift we can give to anyone is the gift we can give to ourselves, the gift of a few minutes of time to access the unbounded energy, power, joy, love, and wisdom that lies deep within each of us, no matter our age, nationality, religion, race, gender, or economic status. And the beauty of that inner is that we can access it no matter how much chaos

and confusion surrounds us. And what is that inner like? From psychiatrist Elizabeth Coobler Ross, who authored the seminal book on Death and Dying, we learn people are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their beauty is only revealed if there's a light from within. I like to conclude my time with you with thirty seconds of gratitude. Thirty seconds for you to appreciate someone or something of

deep value. But today, considering everything that's going on in the world, let's take a full minute. It could be the best one minute of your day. All right, thank you for joining me today. I hope you heard something that inspires, that uplifts you and that you can incorporate into your own life. This is Bob Roth. Stay calm, hey, all of you out there. I'd love to hear from you. You can send me your stories, your questions, or anything else on your mind. Just connect with me on Twitter,

Facebook or Instagram at meditation Bob. You can also send me an email at meditation Bob Roth at gmail dot com. I look forward to hearing from you.