A Thankful Heart

I try to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits. When brimming with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know.  As Bill Sees It, p. 37

My sponsor told me that I should be a grateful alcoholic and always have "an attitude of gratitude" — that gratitude was the basic ingredient of humility, that humility was the basic ingredient of anonymity and that "anonymity was the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities." As a result of this guidance, I start every morning on my knees, thanking God for three things: I'm alive, I'm sober, and I'm a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Then I try to live an "attitude of gratitude" and thoroughly enjoy another twenty-four hours of the A.A. way of life. A.A. is not something I joined; it's something I live.

From the book Daily Reflections

Writing this Gratitude blog has changed my life for the vastly better.  I still have problems with depression and balking, but they are a small fraction of how they used to be or what they would be like if I did not take consistent conscientious action to write what I am grateful for every day.  I spend much more time in joy, happiness, serenity and gratitude instead of resentment and anger.

I am extremely grateful to have made focusing on my gratitude in action a vital part of my daily routine for healthy self-care.


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