Gratitude

"Constant thankfulness makes a human magnet out of a common personality".

It is a joy to be around a grateful person. Gratitude is like a luminary on a pathway. You find yourself following the light. There are enough cranky and disgruntled people in the world. But we're spoiled. Yes, spoiled. We have been blessed beyond measure, but it is status quo to us. Living in America with all the wealth and convenience that the American culture has afforded us, we have become greedy and demanding. Think about it. If you were annonymously given $1000 a week for 60 years, and one day, the money stopped, for no apparent reason, what would be your reaction? Would you be angry? Disappointed? Depressed? Be honest. Would your initial reaction be one of gratitude for all those years of bounty? I doubt it. Human nature dictates that we become dependent upon the things that we are used to. Do you think that the average American, after receiving that $1000 a week, would fall to his knees and thank God for such unique supply after it had just stopped? Wouldn't that be the ethical and moral thing to do? You and I are NOT grateful. We're greedy. How much is enough? One man, in response to that question said, "Just a little bit more." The echo of that statment resounds across America. No wonder we, as a culture, are despised in many struggling and third-world countries. At the end of the day, it is our duty and privilege to bow our heads and thank God for one more day of life, plenty, and the opportunity for more, as greedy as it is. Blessed beyond measure, we owe it to ourselves and to an onlooking world to maintain a spirit of gratitude. (jgr)