One single gift acknowledged in gratefulness has the power to dissolve the ties of our alienation.
David Steindl-RastRead
Gratefulness makes us aware of the gift and makes us happy. As long_x000D_ _x000D_ as we take things for granted they don't make us happy. Gratefulness is_x000D_ _x000D_ the key to happiness. Practicing gratitude is so central to my spirituality.
Interpretation
Gratitude brings awareness and happiness, while taking things for granted leads to unhappiness.
This quote emphasizes the importance of gratitude in achieving true happiness. It suggests that recognizing and appreciating the gifts in our lives is essential for our spiritual well-being and overall contentment, while neglecting this awareness results in a lack of fulfillment and joy.
In practice
During a speech on wellness, you might share this quote to highlight the importance of gratitude.
One single gift acknowledged in gratefulness has the power to dissolve the ties of our alienation.
There is no closer bond than the one that gratefulness celebrates, the bond between giver and thanksgiver. Everything is a gift. Grateful living is a celebration of the universal give-and-take of life, a limitless yes to belonging. Can our world survive without gratefulness? Whatever the answer, one thing is certain: to say an unconditional yes to the mutual belonging of all beings will make this a more joyful world. This is the reason why Yes is my favorite synonym for God.
As I express my gratitude, I become more deeply aware of it. And the greater my awareness, the greater my need to express it. What happens here is a spiraling ascent, a process of growth in ever expanding circles around a steady center.
Joy is that kind of happiness that does not depend on what happens.
By looking up, by raising our eyes above our limited horizon, we are more likely to perceive the blessings hidden in affliction.
Any place is sacred ground, for it can become a place of encounter with the divine Presence.
Obviously, circumstances alone do not make us happy or unhappy. It is the way we react to circumstances that determines our feelings. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is within you. That is where the kingdom of hell is, too.
It is the pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.
Unnatural to expect that learning to be happy should be any easier than, say, learning to play the violin or require any less practice.
It is only a poor sort of happiness that could ever come by caring very much about our own pleasures. We can only have the highest happiness such as goes along with being a great man, by having wide thoughts and much feeling for the rest of the world as well as ourselves.
The happiness of the drop is to die in the river.
I spend hours playing chess because I find it so much fun. The day it stops being fun is the day I give up.
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