The Abundance Blog

Someone remarked to me the other day that “Gratitude is such a guilt trip!”  I was a bit shocked and saddened that the spontaneous feeling of honoring and welcoming something into one’s life could be so twisted into guilt.  I know that when I was little, writing thank you letters was a horrible chore:  beyond saying “Thank you,”, what else could you say?  It felt false and forced.  I guess that form of “gratitude” can make one completely shy away off the whole topic.

True gratitude flows from the spontaneous out-welling of love for the giver and for the gift.   I admit that one could love the giver more than the gift, and sometimes the gift more than the giver.  Sometimes, gift giving has been used as a manipulative ploy:  “I give you this, I expect something back” or even better “I give you this, so you must love me.”

The kind of gratitude that uplifts your life and heart and soul reflects the love involved, not the guilt.  The Universe notices the love, and responds with giving you more of what you love.  If you don’t love it, you don’t get more of it – simple!

I love my cats, all of them for all of my life.  They’ve made me laugh till I gasped, they’ve been furry four-footed alarm clocks, they’ve comforted me (and others); I even love them when they break into the box of Girl Scout cookies and feed them to the dogs.

I love my dogs.  They, too, have made me laugh.  They teach me about loyalty, and having fun, and persistance, and gratitude, and love.

I love my books.  I would love to have a library of all the books in the world, in all subjects, good, bad and indifferent.  There’s a wonderful book named “Beauty” by Robin McKinley, in which the Beast has a magic library of all books all across time.  I want that one!

I love my house.  My house stands for financial independance and abundance and personal achievement for me.  I want to stop strangers on the street and say “Look at this place – it’s mine!”

I love my partner.  Simply, wonderfully, that.

I love the stuff I put on my body.  My clothes, my jewelry, my hair decorations, etc.  I like putting them on and feeling beautiful.

I love my other stuff, too.  I have learned over the years that I do not need to possess something just because I find it attractive.  However, I have memories tied up in many of my possessions; they become souvenirs of my life’s journey.  Some things I have I created, so they stand for the beauty that I have given to the world.

I love my body.  I love my mind.  I love my soul.  I love my connection with the Divine.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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