Gratefully We Heal

I recently was fortunate to hear words of wisdom from the mouth of a 96-year-old man who spoke to the topic of gratitude. Before retiring from his career as a surgeon, he was in the business of repairing injured, damaged and otherwise malfunctioning hearts. The power of his words, however, provided insight into the remedy, not for ills of the physical heart, but for so much of our metaphysical broken heartedness. As we discussed last week, expressions of gratitude are a tried and true way to counter the effects of the “recounting our problems,” as my friend, Dr. Nelson describes is our human tendency to do. Regardless of nationality, socio-economic circumstances, gender, age, political persuasion or any other factor, gratitude can ease our feelings of grief. It won’t remove the challenges that inevitably beset human life, but cultivating a grateful heart changes perception of circumstance. Purposefully focusing attention on any and every possible good instead of the obvious bad, in any given situation, eases human suffering. If you’re looking for more material to use in your expressions of gratitude, consider these: Life is a gift. You are here and you are powerful to speak, to listen, to learn and to grow. Your body and mind are unique to you. Be thankful for that. You can read the Blanco County News or any number of the millions of other published works in this world. You can appreciate art and music in addition to the written and spoken words of others. You can be thankful for every new day, which represents your new birth and new opportunity to be a little better than the day before. Speaking of new birth, you can be thankful to the two people who provided you with the genetic material, in exactly the way needed, to give you life on this planet in this magnificent, enlightened time in earth’s history. Throughout the years, there’ve been people who were kind to you, who taught you important truths, who helped you along your way; be thankful for that. There is certainly at least one person in your experience here in humanity whom you love, or have loved. Be thankful. Today, you can help someone. You can love another human being and cultivate goodwill toward someone who might be a challenge for you. Be thankful for your challenges and struggles. It is exactly the struggle that makes you strong. As we breathe a sigh of relief over the announcement the forthcoming COVID-19 immunization exists, let’s not wait to utilize the home-remedy and proven cure for the various emotional maladies that ail us. As one behavioral expert put it simply; “when we are grateful, we heal.” (John Demartini, DC) Be well.

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