This is the weekend we here in Canada will celebrate Thanksgiving. We do this a few weeks earlier than our American cousins. But that’s just the way we work… just a few steps ahead most of the time. (Okay, that’s my one and only jab. You smiled, though, didn’t you?)

Growing up, I remember this to be one of those high-and-holy feast days upon which family and friends gathered to share the traditional turkey dinner. It was always fun, and always good. I remember watching my dad pack away plateful after plateful of food, and to this day I have no idea how he was able to not gain weight at any point in his life. I do not have this affliction. To this day, it’s one of the few days ever year where my mom can rest reasonably assured that most of her immediate family will be on hand to invade her small apartment and mill around her.

Early in school we learned about the tradition of Thanksgiving, of pilgrims and discoveries of a new home. With deference to my friends and colleagues who proudly celebrate their First Nations heritage, I’m not even totally sure it’s right to be celebrating that particular series of events anymore, to be honest.

Thanksgiving… an opportunity to give thanks… my updated and re-visioned version of that is Gratitude.

A few years ago, I was certified to present a workshop created by Diane Harmony entitled, 5 Gifts for an Abundant Life. In that workshop we talk about the essential importance of Gratitude, not just as an expression of a thankful heart, but as a state of being.

Gratitude is the experience of moving from our heads to our hearts. More than just seeing or experiencing something and having appreciation register, it’s opening our heart to both acceptance and love.

This is where gratitude stands apart from giving thanks. For most of us we “give thanks” a hundred times a day. We say “thank you” for even the smallest kindness; everything from the door being held open for us, to a server delivering our meal, to a clerk giving us change back from our purchase. In our culture “thank you’s” are both expected and given freely… dare I say automatically, and really without much thought. It’s just the polite thing to do.

Gratitude is more than that. Gratitude is about entering into an openhearted state, which is very present and centred in the experience of it.

In her book, 5 Gifts for an Abundant Life: Create a Consciousness of Wealth, Diane Harmony writes (p20),

Gratitude is a distiller of emotions. When you [extend gratitude] you are purifying your emotional response to life by focusing on love and leaving fear, doubt, worry, shame and blame behind. The simple truth is that you cannot, at one and the same time, experience appreciation and any other emotional responses. As you continue to be grateful, the reactions that are lesser, darker or narrower tend to weaken and lose their momentum, leaving you free to be light and loving. In this state, awareness of the abundance of life is so easy to see and experience.

Gratitude for What Was…

As we hold ourselves in this place of Gratitude and look back upon the path which has brought us to this moment, the very act of being grateful releases judgement about “good” and “bad” and allows our experience simply to be what it has been. When we release resentment, blame, guilt and shame we are able to more readily find peace in where we are in the present moment.

Gratitude for What Is…

In the same way, being grateful for what is in this moment holds our hearts open for more of what we’re grateful for to show up. Ancient wisdom reminds us that whatever we place our energy, attention and focus upon grows, or increases in our life experience. Do you want more good? Then be grateful for the good which already exists. Do you want more love? Then be grateful for the love you already experience. Being grateful for what is, paves the way for more of it to show up in our lives. It’s really saying to the Universe, “Yes, this is it… this is what I want to experience more of!”

Gratitude for What Will Be…

As we envision our futures… whether that future be tomorrow, or some time a little further off in the distance, as we move into that open heart space created by Gratitude we open ourselves to the manifestation of that fpr which we’re grateful. This is the natural extension of being grateful for What Is… it is the holding space for, and welcoming of more and more of it to show up in our lives. “It grants us the consciousness to receive that which we desire.”

Understanding the central and essential role of Gratitude in creating the life we desire, here are some suggestions as to how you might increase your experience of Gratitude, and it’s magical effects in your life.

Begin a Gratitude Journal

This is by no means a new idea. But for many people, actually doing it might be a life-changing experience. Find a place to write down 5  things you’re grateful for… every day. And no boring repetition, either!

Do it at the beginning of your day… the end of your day… whatever works best for you. Just do it!

Having written down the things you’re grateful for, sit with it for a few moments, and REALLY EXPERIENCE the gratitude flowing through you and opening your heart. Feel it reach out and touch every cell of your being; allow it to reach all the way down to your toes, and up to the crown of your head. It might take some practice, but allow it to become visceral as you experience this state of being called Gratitude.

Participate in a Gratitude Challenge

An extension of creating a Gratitude Journal may be to participate in a Gratitude Challenge. I’ve recently seen Facebook posts popping up as people accept the challenge of finding something every day for which to be grateful, and posting their lists. This can be fun and uplifting as you engage with other people, encouraging one another to keep your hearts open to the the good that can be found in everything.

Grace Before Meals

In days gone by, grace before meals was an expected staple. When I left the church, though it was something that I kind of left behind, not because I wasn’t thankful, but it seemed to me that it was an “expectation” which I was happy to let go.

It is, however, a wonderful way of engaging in Gratitude. With only a slight shift in perspective (on my part), it becomes an opportunity to celebrate being in the flow of what Spirit is up to in my life. It is recognizing the source and substance of everything that is, including me! Using our need to stop and eat as a reminder to engage in Gratitude is, for me, a no-brainer.

Practice Giving the Gift

Another Gratitude practice I’d recommend is to make a point of expressing Gratitude to someone every day. Look for opportunities to stop and really connected heart-to-heart with someone and let them know why you’re grateful for having them in your life. Or, it might be someone you’ve never met before… a clerk in a store, the receptionist at the business you visit today, or someone who gives you great customer service. Allow your expression of “thanks” to extend beyond the norm, and even if only for a few seconds allow the openhearted experience of Gratitude to flood your system, and extend the blessing of it to another human being.

It seems to me…

that the more we’re in the heart space of Gratitude, it’s an expression to the Universe that “I really like it when good shows up in my life… this is so awesome… I’d more of this please!” And, you know what? It seems to work.

What will you do this week… today… to express your Gratitude for the good which shows up in every moment? You might have to look for it, but I promise you, it’s there.