Miracle #30 - Love Is The Way I Walk In Gratitude

 


Photo Credit: Gabrielle Henderson

Two days ago I came downstairs early in the morning and noticed a pile of dog poop at the bottom of the stairs.

I was mentally congratulating myself for side-stepping it as I headed towards the front door to shut off the porch light. Then, I looked down and realized that I had stepped right into ANOTHER pile of dog poop. 

If this had happened to me a few years ago, I would have been extremely aggravated, and this start to the day would have ruined the rest of it for me.

Instead, my heart was flooded with gratitude!

These are the thoughts that immediately popped into my mind:

  • I'm so glad I am wearing socks and didn't get it on my feet!

  • I'm so glad I have a clean pair of back-up yoga pants to change into, since it got all over my pants cuff

  • I'm so glad my dog is pooping normally again, because last week she was sick and leaving puddles of diarrhea everywhere

  • I'm so glad that I can just toss these clothes into my automatic washing machine and don't have to walk a mile to the river and wash them with a rock, like people do in Africa

I have no doubt that my response to this situation was connected to the fact that I just completed a week-long module on Gratitude as part of a True Prosperity class offered by the Teachers of God Foundation. 

Nevertheless, I couldn't fathom that I was literally standing in shit and feeling gratitude about it!

It was such a clear example to me of how much difference a shift in perception makes in our lives,

Lesson 195 of A Course in Miracles says that "Love is the Way I Walk in Gratitude".

This lesson used to confuse me.

It conjured up an image of the Ministry of Silly Walks from Monty Python.

This year I understood finally that Love is the not the manner in which I walk.  It is the path I walk. When I follow the path of love, then I walk in gratitude! 

As long as I start my day focused on right-minded thinking and choosing love over fear, I can feel gratitude for everything that occurs.

Now every day is an adventure, because every event is a blessing - even if it is a blessing in disguise. 

I have a sign that I received from my husband as part of a gift basket for my 39th birthday that says:

In Every Trouble There Is A Blessing

This sign hangs in my bathroom, and even though I have read it nearly daily for the past 15 years, I didn't really grasp the meaning of it fully until A Course in Miracles lead me to the understanding that there are no troubles.

Troubles are just something we perceive - they do not exist in reality.

EVERYTHING is for our benefit - either as a gift (which seems positive) or as a learning experience (which seems negative).

Today I am grateful that I had the time to record my thoughts in this blog, and I am grateful that you took the time to read them. I wish you many blessings, knowing that as I heal my mind, yours is also healed. 

Thank You, Holy Spirit

As you learn, your gratitude to your Self, Who teaches you what He is, will grow and help you honor Him. - ACIM Text, Chapter 16, Section III

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