Gratitude is like a light turning on in the darkness,
The first rays of sun in the morning dawn.
Gratitude turns on the lights of love when there just feels like darkness,
Heaviness or fear.
I just want to tell you a story,
A story that allowed that light to grow in my heart to switch on the light in the darkness.
I share that now and just let yourself feel,
Experience and know the gratitude of a 92 year old man as he was asked to go to court and stood before the judge and the judge said to him you are stood here for driving offences,
What would you say?
And the man turned to the judge and said sir I am 92 years old and I can't drive anywhere without being pained and I have to do it slowly for I am 92 but once every two weeks I must drive my son to the hospital to have blood work,
He's 68 and has cancer and I'm the only one that can take him there,
He paused and then the judge took a gulp and you could feel him holding back the tears and he said sir you are a gentleman and your service to your family is so honourable and he dropped all charges,
That story,
The gratitude for the judge and his mercy and lenience and the service that the man was doing to his 68 year old son filled my heart with such gratitude and gratitude is the lightness that we need to allow us to shift through the dark and find a curious creative solution to whatever we're feeling to shift the heaviness of that energy and so I just invite us now to a very short practice to fill yourself with gratitude that allows you to move forward with heightened energy because gratitude is always heightened energy and love or to take us out of the heaviness or fear.
So just for a moment if you do have something that is weighing on you just rate it out of 10,
10 being the most intense and 1 being not at all and it's fine not to have anything but if you do just notice where you feel and now just take a deep breath in for 4 and out for 5 and just let yourself land and maybe place two fingers or the palm of your hand at the centre of your chest and just igniting that light in your heart,
That sacred heart where we open to our higher wisdom and our soul.
Just let that now with every breath in and out just spark a little bit more as we bring to mind and experience some words or someone's face that express gratitude for you for something that you may have done maybe it was as small as giving someone your ticket when in a parking lot when you didn't use the whole amount or maybe you pushed a trolley out their way or maybe you just smiled or maybe it was something bigger you told them how much they mean to you and their face lit up or maybe you gave someone mercy and lenience or you gave them just a hug whatever the services of big or small you know that you have been of service and you have made a small difference receive that gratitude whether it was for a gift you gave them or a hug or just a knowing witnessing them without saying anything these small acts of miracles happen every day let them fill your heart now with love feel it let it grow receiving that gratitude which we find so hard to do let yourself sense feel or experience just for a moment and let it let your heart grow and now bring up that sense of gratitude and bliss for something that you are truly grateful for maybe it's your dog's face maybe it's somewhere you've been or experienced now let your heart send that beam of love and light out to that person thing or place let it magnify that gratitude even further let it be simple like that first ray of sunlight in the morning a smile on a child's face feel that and let it magnify give yourself over to it be moved and let yourself be moved let yourself feel that joy and gratitude and now let that beam of light that surrounded that person place or thing surround you now beam it right back to you receive that love and gratitude back to yourself and let it fill you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes that spark of light now as if it's a ball of sunlight fill you completely let that energy ripple out from the center of your heart outwards and so anyone in your vicinity will feel that beautiful energy rippling magnifying and helping them glow with sun and light light no effort required and as you move on now placing and feeling that heart under your arms or your fingers just know with every touch of your heart you reignite this feeling of gratitude of bliss of joy and so it is and it is so
