Gratitude (4)

Warriors - Its day 4. Receiving. What on earth does that have to do with gratitude? For gratitude to take place we need to acknowledge what is given to us - that is receiving. To hold and to have = receive. And the key to acknowledging that is gratitude.

Its easy to be grateful for things - a warm home, clothes, family, food. What about the gifts that have been freely given that we were not able to receive?

All too often we miss the opportunity to receive and in doing so, miss the joy of gratitude. How many times have you had this conversation?

"Hey, I love your shoes!"

"Got them at Target."

"OMG, I love your hair today."

"Oh, because I finally showered today"

"I LOVE your cooking."

"Eh, its ok. I usually can do better."

So, we missed receiving something beautiful - gifts of praise, words of affirmation, aka LOVE. (Yes, many people speak LOVE by giving gifts of affirmation/spoken word) If that gift could be seen, wrapped up and physically given, I bet we would have at least said Thanks. So, we miss a beautiful gift, because of the lack of gratitude and are unable to receive the gift.

What if the conversation went like this, with gratitude acknowledging the gift.

"Hey, I love your shoes."

"Thank you! Me too. I feel awesome in these shoes. Thanks for saying so."

"OMG, I love your hair today."

"Thank you. I took my time with myself today and if felt great! Thank you for saying so."

"I LOVE your cooking."

"Thank you, I love feeding people. I have better meals up my sleeve if your up for another meal. Thanks for saying so"

++Its a bonus to end the conversation with, "thanks for saying so" because it takes courage sometimes for people to show their love language. Then they feel a bit brave the next time++

So, your challenge today is to RECEIVE with gratitude. So you can hold and to have. How many gifts can you receive fully today?Acknowledge it by giving thanks.