I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
Search Results for "gratitude" — 798 posts
The Joy and Peace That Gratitude Brings
“Gratitude is the memory of the heart.” -Jean Baptiste Massieu
Several months ago I was invited by the man I was newly seeing to come to one of his meditation classes. He’d been going through an incredibly tumultuous and painful time in his personal life; he realized that his family unit, which he had always seen as perfect, was human and flawed. That seemed to break something in his spirit.
He turned to meditation as a source of re-centering himself. In addition to the deep breathing, one of the cornerstones of meditation practice is gratitude—finding at least one thing every …
How to Start a Gratitude Practice and Change Your Life
“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” ~Lao Tzu
Somewhere in the distant past, out here in New Zealand, I recall someone saying to me “Be grateful for small mercies.”
Back in the 1950s, when I was a small girl, that meant being grateful for the simple things that made up the better part of my life.
As I grew, I forgot that piece of advice that someone, probably my beautiful grandmother, gave me way back then. But in 2010, I remembered it again.
Like so many people in the world in 2010, troubles …
4 Things You Need to Know About Your Hurting Inner Child
“She held herself until the sobs of the child inside subsided entirely. I love you, she told herself. It will all be okay.” ~H. Raven Rose
The first time I heard about inner child work was in a random article I found on the internet.
It caught my attention because I was struggling to develop loving and compassionate feelings toward myself. Although I understood the role of limiting beliefs and unhealthy habits in my healing process and how to overcome them, I couldn’t feel love and empathy for myself.
Most of the time, I was either very harsh toward myself …
3 Simple Words to Help You Feel Present, Grounded, and Nourished
“The little things? They’re not little.” ~Jon Kabat-Zinn
Remember Halloween, 2018? No? We wouldn’t, either, except that it happens to be the day our mindfulness journey—and our lives—changed forever.
First, some background. We (Deborah and Willow) met when our boys played on the same fifth-grade soccer team. We connected quickly through our shared love of books, writing, dogs, hiking, and strong coffee.
Something else we had in common: We were both failed meditators. To be honest, we were a bit embarrassed that we couldn’t make a mindfulness practice stick.
Thank Goodness We WEREN’T Paying Attention
Now, back to the story. …
Hope for the Grieving: You Will Make It Through
“No darkness lasts forever. And even there, there are stars.” ~Ursula K. Le Guin (the Farthest Shore)
Everyone with a close relationship with their mother has felt it at some time or other or expects to feel it in the future. That dreaded moment when you will have to say goodbye to them. For some of us, it happens early in life, through illness, a parting of the ways, or other transitions; for me, it began in my mid-fifties, and even though I had plenty of time to ponder it, I wasn’t prepared.
I was always very close
How to Find Tiny Miracles, Even During Hard Times
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~Albert Einstein
In my cancer journey, miracles showed themselves every step of the way. Large and small, some of more significance than others. But all amazing, leading me to heartfelt gratitude for each and every one.
In my most trying times, I held on to the focus of what was going right. I was putting into practice my learnings from positive psychology. That’s not to say I wasn’t terrified of my cancer diagnosis …
A Little Hope and Encouragement for Hard Times
“If your path demands you to walk through hell, walk as though you own the place.” ~Unknown
Trigger warning: This content contains references to self-harm and suicide.
It was in the spring semester during graduate school. I was living alone in a one-bedroom apartment and working nearly full-time hours at night.
The anti-depressants weren’t working so well. I was keeping up with my therapist, but I suppose it was too much.
I felt too much. It hurt so much and couldn’t handle it. You could list out the symptoms of depression, and I had them all.
Unable to deal with …
Making Big Decisions: What Would Your Higher Self Do?
“Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us.” ~Paul Millsap
The personal growth journey is easy when everything is going to plan. But when you’re presented with a difficult situation, that’s when the real test begins.
In 2018, I embarked on a nomadic journey to do some soul-searching. I faced my fair share of challenges during this trip, but for the most part, life was good.
I led a good life and coached people to do the same. But then I was given a …
Try This Fun Little Phrase to Immediately Boost Your Joy
“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” ~Karl Barth
I had no way of knowing when I went to visit my brother’s family that summer in 2019 that my three-year-old niece would say seven words that would forever change my relationship with joy.
It was July and predictably steamy in Georgia where his family lives. I was visiting to meet my newborn nephew, and the stifling heat kept us all inside for most of my stay.
The second morning after I arrived, I was spending time with my younger niece and keeping her entertained. My older niece was at a …
5 Ways to Cope When Faced With Sudden Caregiving
“There are only four kinds of people in the world—those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” ~Rosalynn Carter, Former First Lady of the United States
The call reminded me of an old TV commercial for a medical alert device. Only this was real.
“Mom fell down and broke her hip,” my sister said. “She’s in the hospital waiting for surgery. I’m freaking out about Dad. He shouldn’t be living alone!”
Wait. What?
What’s up with Dad?
After more conversation, and once the initial shock subsided, I …
8 Things to Remember When You’re at Your Lowest
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.” ~Haruki Marukami
Last year was both the hardest year of my life and the most transformative. My partner and I had started in vitro fertilization after years of infertility. The daily hormone injections and invasive procedures were tough, but when we saw two blue lines on the …
The Closure in Accepting That They May Never Change
“One of the hardest things I’ve had to understand is that closure comes from within. Especially difficult if you’ve been betrayed by someone you love because you feel like you gotta let them know the pain they caused, but the peace you seek can only be given to you by you.” ~Bruna Nessif
Many years ago, I wrote a very personal post for Tiny Buddha titled Get Past It Instead of Getting Even: Revenge Isn’t Winning.
The post described the challenges I experienced with my parents as an adult and, ultimately, my decision to cease all relations with them.
5 Big Lessons I Learned After Losing a Legacy Friend
“You can’t force anyone to value, respect, understand, or support you, but you can choose to spend your time around people who do.” ~Lori Deschene
There’s a term in IT called “legacy systems.” These are computer systems that are ancient and abysmally outdated yet are kept around because organizations have centered some of their operations around them.
The exercise to replace a legacy system is challenging and possibly even painful because of the interwoven network of dependencies placed on these systems—but it’s not impossible.
The benefits of replacing a legacy system with one that is aligned with the current operational …
Bulletproof Self-Love: How to Build an Unshakeable Relationship with Yourself
“Before you put yourself down, please consider everything you’ve accomplished to get to this point, every life you’ve touched, and every moment you’ve pushed beyond your fears. You are a champion, a fighter. You are worthy of nothing less than the deepest love you have to share.” ~Scott Stabile
It seems that we’re being bombarded daily with heart-felt messages to love ourselves more. It’s everywhere—from our Instagram newsfeed to handprinted tote bags to the “You are worthy” mural at your local coffee shop.
I appreciate the society-wide agreement we seem to have made to remind ourselves to choose self-love.…
How to Tend to the Garden Within and Help Create a More Peaceful World
“Until we transform ourselves, we are like mobs of angry people screaming for peace. In order to move the world, we must be able to stand still in it.” ~Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
It only happens about every ten years or so. The primal scream. It gets unleashed when things feel like too much.
But it happened recently, to the dismay of my husband who was enjoying a rare moment of quiet in the house. I had just dropped our son off to basketball practice. The soup I’d picked up for dinner spilled in the car, and the lid to the …
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