A few weeks ago I wrote about one of the reasons that my wife Elfa and I have enjoyed our lives together for over fifty years was thanks to an expression of mutual gratitude. As I pointed out a week ago, the development of any habit takes time and repetition. Therefore, I practice having the habit of an attitude of gratitude every day. Every morning after I just wake up, I recite the Jewish traditional prayer: Modeh (Modah for women), “I give thanks before you, King living and eternal, for you have returned within me my soul with compassion; abundant is your faithfulness.” This small act sets the tone for me for the rest of the day. After all, there are so many people and things in my life that I am grateful for.
Dr. Deepak Chopra pointed out that “Gratitude opens the door to… the power, the wisdom, thecreativityof the universe.” I found this quote in the book “Mind. A Scientific Guide to Who You Are, How You Got That Way, and How to Make the Most of It” by Patricia Daniels published by the National Geographic. In the book, there is a chapter called “Gratitude”, which starts, “When you have a responsive and understanding partner, you almost certainly feel grateful. The emotion of gratitude is another powerful factor in building the bonds between two people. Even outside of a close relationship, gratitude can reinforce positive action within a group and help a troubled person find strength in adversity. From a practical standpoint, gratitude is simply useful. It’s a benefit detector. You’re grateful when you get a gift, or receive some sort of benefit that you can link to a specific giver. Gratitude intensifies if you believe the gift was costly to the giver (whether in money, time, or effort); if the gift was personally valuable and well chosen… A spontaneous, out-of-the-blue present can be the best gift of all. In each case, we’re grateful not so much for the gift or benefit, but because the act of giving shows that peopleare thinking about us, that they care about us, and that the world is not such a bad place.”
On January 2nd before going to the office, I stopped at CVS and bought a number of notebooks. In one, I am going to write my daily reflections and what I am grateful for. The other large notebook with 200 pages is going to be filled with the names of clients whom I plan on helping in 2019. For me, one of the greatest expressions of gratitude is to say “Thank you” to those who entrusted me with their mortgage needs. This is why I give my books as gifts with gratitude to my clients. You can follow my example and buy “42 Encounters with Dog Lovers“. As the article pointed out, “A spontaneous, out-of-the-blue present can be the best gift of all.”
P.S. I want to share with you these four images of the last sunset on the last day of last year, with my gratitude.
Make it a great year, enjoy and share with a friend!
