Grateful For Life

“Thank you is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.”

                                                                                            Alice Walker

This past February, I had an experience that shifted me.  The experience made me aware of a greater power taking care of me; a silent partner. It made me grateful for life itself and all of the things that make up this gorgeous experience on Earth. November’s blogs will focus on The Power of Gratitude as one of the keys to unlocking health, wholeness, and vitality.

Have you ever had an experience that made you grateful just to be alive? I have.  I was in Kansas City with my husband the weekend of a huge snow storm. I had gone with him as he had a work opportunity, and I was using the day for a day retreat for myself. We stayed at a beautiful old hotel where I had planned a day of swimming, massage, coffee, and relaxing while he worked.

When I woke up that morning it had just begun to snow. I listened to the weather report and at least a foot of snow was predicted for the day. My husband and I had to drive about 30 miles to get to the downtown train station to come home later that day. We were staying down in a deep valley that would require going up a couple of steep hills to get to the highway.

I began to get a bit worried, but I decided to enjoy my day. I went to my massage, but during the massage my husband called to let me know they were shutting down the facility where he was consulting and I needed to get ready to go. I finished my massage and went up to the room. I looked outside and there was already lots of snow on the ground. We grabbed our things and decided to try to get out. We knew if we didn’t get out then, we would be stuck there for at least a day or two.

We went to our rented car, had to be shoveled out, and then pushed to get going. We took off at a snail’s pace. We thought that if we could get up the hills, then we had a chance to get to the train station and come home. If we couldn’t then we would stay.

We got up the hills, barely, and by the grace of God. As we then ventured down the first highway, we got behind a 4-Wheel drive vehicle that blazed a path we could follow. We followed him all the way to the next highway; so gratefully. As we got on the main highway to Kansas City, we saw lots of trucks and cars stranded all over the place, and then the snow slowed down. We continued driving feeling like we were in a tunnel of protection. The highway going the other way was completely stopped for miles, and we kept driving along around 20 miles per hour. It wasn’t until we were about 4 miles from our destination that our side of the highway stopped. Cars and trucks were slipping all over the place. The movement picked up in starts and fits, and we got off on the next exit.  We made our way to the car rental facility and to the station. We were quiet the whole trip, and so cared for the whole way. It took us about three hours to go 30 miles, and we arrived safely and in time to catch our train. I have never felt so cared for and grateful and in the hands of a greater power as I did that day.

Gratitude can be big and small. Waking up in the morning and being grateful for being alive, or feeling grateful for being able to walk, or feeling grateful for being able to taste; all are wonderful. I find that gratitude helps us to enjoy ourselves more and so also contributes to our sense of joy, vitality, and wholeness.

Recommended Resources:

You may have heard about the documentary The Secret or read the book.  I’d like to suggest you check out Rhonda Byrne’s other book entitled The Magic.  It is an easy read with helpful exercises, all centered on the transformative power of gratitude and how it can literally transform your life.