Grateful living is not about having moments in which we pause and pay thanks here and there, but about falling into appreciation, or perhaps falling into gratitude head-over-heels, where we fully inhabit the essence of thankfulness. Grateful living is about having the roots of gratitude set deeper into your heart.
The Latin root of that word — grata (or gratia) — means a thing given as a gift. Also from that same root, a word once used more frequently in English — grace — as a free giving, undeserved. With such a perspective we can have the chance to see each new day as a gift freely given, with grace and love.
So this morning, as I woke up to the familiar buzz of early-morning comparison, I prayed something like this: God, thank you for bringing me into this day. Thank you for my night of rest and restoration. May I live out a love that comes from you in all that I do and say today.
When we find that grace and recognise the coming of the new day, we are invited to trust in God’s goodness, to re-begin a new morning of growth, of study, and with you now. Without overthinking your words, what blessings do you sense in your heart? What are you called to notice in this day? Journal like this:
Let Be What Is: Simply take a deep breath and fully settle into this moment. Feel your heart beat, and feel your breath expand.
- Open Your Heart in Gratitude: Allow gratitude to flow into your heart, infusing it as the sun warms the earth — but in this case, warming your soul. Feeling it flow helps gravity activate it.
- Reflect in Your Journal: Choose one or both of the following prompts:
“Today, I recognize the gift of a new day by…”
“I experience the grace of gratitude when I…”
Let your pen run free and explore the vast oceans of gratefulness locked inside your heart. Start your day on a grateful note and let the grace of gratitude accompany you on the paths of discovery and of your being.