Gratitude And Thanks For Our Loved Ones

During this Thanksgiving season, we all have a tremendous amount for which we should be thankful. However, during our daily lives, it's so easy to slide into a negative frame of mind and focus on what's going wrong, our hardships, our problems, our difficulties, and all the things that seem no one else has to endure.

Surprisingly, we're all in the same situation, facing the same groups of obstacles in one way shape, or another. The specifics may be different, but the substance is the same. Life in the physical is not easy, nor is it meant to be. Remember, we're all here in this earth school as spirit beings having a human experience in order to learn difficult lessons to help us on our spiritual journey and with our spiritual growth. If you look at your struggles as lessons, not problems, your life will seem to become just a little less challenging.

We should be full of gratitude for the multitude of blessings we have in our lives. We here in the developed world are so fortunate to have advanced technologies, wealthy economies, relative peace and security, availability of life-saving medicines and healthcare, the protection and rule of law, stable governments, civil liberties, clean food and water, and on and on. We also have the love of our families, the beauty of the natural world, the love of our loved ones in spirit who still care about us, and the love and grace of the Divine Source Energy that helps sustain and guide us.

With all that, how could we not be absolutely ecstatic?

We can and should be. Begin to think for a moment about something that makes you smile and warms your heart. Imagine it in your mind for a while, and let it come to life as you think about it.

Perhaps it's a cooing baby wrapped in a cute blanket, giving you its love and devotion as it rests peacefully, nestled lovingly in your arms.

Maybe it's a furry little puppy or kitten wrapped in a little bundle napping lovingly in your lap as it calmly accepts your love and returns it in kind.

Possibly it's a beloved family member or a lover who is wrapping their arms tightly around you in a loving embrace that seals in your unity together, protects you from the outside world, supports you in everything you do, and confirms their adoration of you forever.

Perchance it's a glorious hymn or song with beautiful, rich, angelic harmonies that are so amazing they stir something deep within your soul and bring you to tears of joy.

To some, it may just be sharing time with their family with the knowledge they have a roof over their head and food at their table. Regardless, we have plenty to make us happy that we should be thanking our Creator for, or whatever you believe in.

Gratitude is one of the most powerful positive energies that helps bring more positivity to us. It creates an upward spiral, since the more you think a positive thought, the more you'll bring into your life that positive energy. Gratitude begets more things to be grateful for. Positivity creates more positive things to be happy about. It's driven by the Law of Attraction or Like Attracts Like.

The important thing we need to realize is that we shouldn't save gratitude only for Thanksgiving and the blessings we reflect on during that holiday. We should be grateful for what we have in our lives EVERY day. Go back to the list of things you thought of that made you smile in the previous paragraph. That should help you begin to prime your creative pump to come up with more things you can be grateful for. Gratitude, according to Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., the author of The How of Happiness, is a major contributor to our personal happiness. This alone should be reason enough to be grateful every day, as I'm sure we all want to lead happy lives.

What does any of this have to do with spirit and the spirit world?

We should be thankful our loved ones in spirit are alive on the other side and still thinking about us. Their love for us continues, for love is the strongest energy that ties us together for eternity. There is no barrier that interrupts that connection.

In fact, the way I open myself to spirit during readings is by sharing my love for them. As soon as I do, I feel their presence and loving energy by my side. Spirit is attracted by love, for love is the fabric of the spirit world. They are thankful we continue to think of them, for they are still people. They have only discarded their physical bodies. Just like anyone else with whom we have a loving relationship, they are happy when we're happy and sad when we're sad. So for heaven's sake be happy, loving, and grateful.

Wouldn't you like to see a smile on your grandfather's face? They want to see a smile on our faces, just as much as we want to see one on theirs. So this Thanksgiving season, be grateful for what wonderful gifts we have in our lives and send love to our special family and friends beyond the veil.