We sang this old hymn in church this morning. The tune is simple and the words are simple, a humble song of gratitude.
For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise
As I sang it, I was so filled with appreciation for my life, for all the blessings that pour down on me like gentle showers of flower petals. As I walked home, I could feel the warmth of the spring sun on my face, the bees were humming in the trees, birds were chirping with twitterpated glee. What a glorious day.
I don’t think where we sing our songs of gratitude is important. I don’t think the words are important. More than anything, I think what matters is that we look around us at the bountiful miracles of every day and sing a song of thankfulness.
No matter where you are today or what you’re doing, I hope you are feeling appreciative and appreciated. Blessings to you, my friend, on this magnificent day.
What are you grateful for today?
related posts: Be Glad In It; I Love My Life; Show Me the Miracles
Beautiful reflection, Galen!
ReplyDeleteI just posted about having a "gratitude attitude" in the devotion entitled "I Just Can't Thank You Enough". If you have a minute, pop on over and give it a read.
Today, I am grateful for so many things, I just can't count. :)
Blessings!
Martha, I did pop right over and loved your post about gratitude, and your more recent on on the fast lane. Isn't it wonderful to have too many blessings to count?! Thanks for commenting.
DeleteHi, Galen! ~
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for the capacity to feel gratitude! What a wonderful gift!! Thank you for reminding me!
DL, I had not thought of that one. I'm adding it to my list right now! Thanks for your comment.
DeleteSometimes, when I look around at all the hatred and prejudice in this world, it leaves me sad and depressed, but when I make a point, at the end of the day, of thinking about the things in my day that I am thankful for and sometimes even jotting them down in a journal, it really does help to lift my spirit. I am grateful that my children are healthy, for my friends and for my family. They are my soft places to land.
ReplyDeleteKim, Me, too. Sometimes my heart just breaks with sadness over all the pain in the world, especially when so much of it is caused by us and could be avoided. Children are a wonderful reminder of our blessings. I look at my grandson every day and think about what a miracle he is. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI'm especially grateful that I am relaxed, enjoying my home, reading, writing - my life is full of splendor.
ReplyDeleteThanks for providing the opportunity for me to express that.
Myrna, I'm coming right over to hang with you--that sounds wonderful! Thanks for your comment.
Delete"My life is full of splendor" - so nicely said Myrna! And what you describe are the little things which mean so much!
DeleteLori
Beautiful post. Gratitude is the gateway to peace and joy. I know when I started practicing mindfulness my awareness became open to all the little things I never appreciated and used to miss. Things I'm not very grateful for.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read the book, One Thousand Blessings? By Ann Voskamp? Not trying to plug my blog but if you haven't read it I did a book review..I think you'd enjoy it! : http://ascendingthehills.blogspot.com/2011/06/one-thousand-gifts-book-review.html
I was thankful for the sunshine today, for children's laughter and cuddling with my two kids while reading stories.
~ Blessings
Jessica, Yes, I have that book and I started my 1000 gifts list awhile back. I'm somewhere around 600 now. Thanks for reminding me of it. I sometimes forget to add to it for awhile. Thanks for sharing your gratitude.
DeleteGalen thank you for sharing on gratitude, I was just discussing this with a new friend yesterday and how we can choose to be grateful for ALL events which occur in our lives, even if the events are negative or have negative outcomes. We have the option to view everything in life as a lesson or we can stay in the negative 'poor me' syndrome. We discussed how an attitude of gratitude goes a long ways and enhances life itself.
ReplyDeleteFor me words alone can't express my gratitude for life, the air I breathe, and all I am blessed with. I believe my educational journey is one of gratitude; I am pursuing a career in which I can give back, I feel it's the least I can do after being blessed with a second chance in life.
Have a wonderful week, now it's time to buckle down and get a few papers knocked off, no more procrastination if I'm ever going to finish this degree! :-)
darlin, I love that approach of being grateful for everything without exception. What joy that brings. Thanks for sharing that wonderful idea. Good luck with your papers!
DeleteYou're right Galen, it doesn't matter where we sing our songs of gratitude. What matters most is how we live our lives in showing that we are grateful for being alive.
ReplyDeleteInspiring, I agree that gratitude kept inside is like, as someone else said, wrapping up a gift and then not giving it away. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteI'm often overwhelmed by all I have, Galen and it makes me very mindful of the many who don't enjoy such abundance. Knowing that I did nothing to deserve so much keeps me humble. Thank you for reminding me of this old hymn we learnt in school.
ReplyDeleteCorinne, Like you, I am humbled by the abundance of my blessings, all unearned. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteJust reading these words Galen Pearl I could feel enveloped by gratitude, like all my being was enjoying peace and harmony.
ReplyDeleteGratitude is to be expressed every minute, as if we look at the world around we can see how blessed we are.
Such a beautiful thought to start the week. Have a beautiful one dear.
Marie, I agree with you that gratefulness originates inside us, not from something external, and it's something we can be aware of every minute. Thanks for your comment and I hope you have a great week, too.
DeleteHi Galen,
ReplyDeleteYour post stuck me in so many ways, but strangely this line grabbed me: "As I walked home," reminding me of the very early days when we could walk home from church (we live too far away now). There is a wonderful feeling this post captures of walking home from church on a spring day filled with life itself!
Lori
Lori, I initially visited my church because it was so close, just a few blocks away. I have to say that convenience lured me more than doctrine or denomination. Once there, I felt so at home with the people, and that's what kept me there. Thanks for your comment.
Delete:-) Appreciation and mindfulness are wonderful things. So is prayer. The feeling fills me with gratitude. Prayer is only a ritual, but it brings peace and a nice calm state of mind. I like the hymn you recited. Today, I am just grateful for life and everything I have - a lovely family, friends, home - everything - the little ones and the big ones :D. This is such a sweet post! Hugs to you!
ReplyDeleteVidya, I like the encouragement in the Bible to "pray without ceasing." I think of it is always being present and mindful, like meditating without ceasing. If everything we do is with appreciation and awareness, then everything we do is a prayer and is sacred. Thanks for commenting and hugs back to you.
DeleteI am grateful today for the innumerable ways that god has been helping me. I am grateful today for being alive.
ReplyDeleteRimly, Me, too! Thanks for your comment.
DeleteWonderful reminder of PRAISE and GRATITUDE..
ReplyDeleteI am so grateful for my health, for my positive spirit in the midst of not so positive...for my children, for the ocean as I look outside my window and it looks back at me...
For you my friend Galen!
Nancy
Nancy, I was struck by what you said about a positive spirit in the midst of not so positive. Darlin commented above about being grateful for everything, without exception. I believe that, too, that we can be grateful no matter what. Thanks for commenting. I'm grateful for you, too.
DeleteI'm grateful for the sunshine!
ReplyDeleteJodi, Today I'm grateful for the rain!
DeleteToday I'm grateful for you Jodi. Thank you <3
DeleteIn a world that often assumes one need only be grateful for material things, this post speaks of how many things we truly have without cost to be grateful for.
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for blessings I never deserve but receive regardless.
Kathy, I am also grateful for things sometimes, but my deepest, most transcendent experiences of gratitude seem to have little to do with things. Sounds like that's true for you, too. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI am grateful for this beautiful day in Arizona, my health, my husband's improving health, my family and my friends...but most of all my salvation. Also grateful for the blog friends I am finding as I post my way through the blogesphere!
ReplyDeleteHugs, GraceinAZ
Grace, I'm grateful for my blog friends, too! Thanks for commenting.
DeleteThat is beautiful. Thank you for the gentle reminder to stop and appreciate the life around us.
ReplyDeleteKara, Thanks for commenting.
DeleteWhat lovely thoughts. I love that hymn too. Today, I'm grateful for the goldfinch that came to eat the thistle I put out, the turtles we saw at the lake, and the two ducks that came waddling down the sidewalk and into our yard.
ReplyDeletejimi ann, Welcome and thanks for commenting. I am going to try thistle. My bird feeder does not attract much variety. Love the image of the ducks coming by for a visit.
DeleteGoodness, where to begin? I feel gratitude for the God who created me and blesses me every single day. I feel gratitude for the love of a very special woman and two fantastic kids who have grown into amazing young women. I feel gratitude for health, prosperity, and friends both old and new (that would include you, Galen!).
ReplyDeleteLiving without an overwhelming sense of gratitude for just being able to see each day unfold would be simply unnatural to me.
BTW, I love that hymn.
Bob, I'm like you--where to begin?! Thanks for commenting. I'm grateful for you, too!
DeleteI agree wholeheartedly with this. Gratitude is probably the most precious commodity we have, and it is an endless resource that we can tap into whenever we choose.
ReplyDelete+followed
Elliot, Great description of gratitude. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Deletejust lovely; I loved the hymn. I do need to look at all the blessings that surround me within my life and outside too. Thanks for the sweet reminder to enjoy a moment in sunshine. Hugs~
ReplyDeleteLeAnn, My pleasure. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteGalen,
ReplyDeleteI so agree. I think the most important thing about gratitude is how we feel. When we feel joy spring up from that deep place inside - we've reached the "G" spot!
Angela, Very funny about the G spot! And so true! Thanks for your comment.
DeleteI am having a very bad day, and I'm grateful for the help I get from my Friends.
ReplyDeleteNikky, I'm so sorry you are having a bad day. Thich Nhat Hanh talks about cradling our feelings, so sometimes when I'm having a bad day, I think about holding my feelings, whatever they are, like a baby and singing lullabies. I hope tomorrow is a better day. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteThe power of gratitude cannot be underestimated!
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you,
Alida
Alida, Gratitude is like one stop shopping for joy. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteGreat words of wisdom - thank you
ReplyDeleteI spent 10 hours of my time this past weekend driving in Washington State - I was in nearly constant gratitude for the great conversations at the conference I attended and the stunning spring desert blooms and the gorgeous fruit orchards embracing the Columbia and Yakima Rivers...it was just a WOW of gratitude
I just drank it all in and was thankful
Patricia, A WOW of gratitude. Love it. Thanks for commenting.
DeletePrecious is this post! Gratitude...a treasure I'm sure that the LORD delights in, if found in our hearts
ReplyDeleteRhonda, Nicely phrased. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteWhat a lovely hymn and post Galen.
ReplyDeleteToday I appreciate the fact that life is unwinding just as it should be. The change occuring is constant and I appreciate this.
Hiten, Being grateful for change is so important. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
DeleteApparently, you know why I always capitalize Nature. I am grateful to know such an interesting person as you.
ReplyDeleteJJ, I hope you know I feel the same way about you!
DeleteThe fact that we are able to share each other's thoughts/company through this "alternate" community platform is a privilege we ought to be grateful for daily. It is surely our divine responsibility to reach out and bless them who have far less than we have. Thank you for this post, was encouraged and refreshed.
ReplyDeleteSo true about this community. I love being connected to so many people of such varied backgrounds. This forum allows us to be neighbors with people all over the world. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteI am grateful for the beauty of life and the words we get to share here collectively that uplift the spirit!
ReplyDeleteKim, I'll second that! Thanks for your comment.
DeleteWhenever I hear that song I can hear my grandmother singing in church. It's one of the songs I remember hearing her sing- it's also one of the ones she hummed while working in the kitchen. Lovely memory!
ReplyDeleteSo glad it brings back good memories. I have been humming it ever since last Sunday. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteI love this hymn, too. It captures the beauty of the Earth and mindfulness all in a few lines. Thanks for the reminder!!
ReplyDeleteBetsy, I'm pleased that so many people have good memories of this hymn. Thanks for your comment.
Delete10 Steps:
ReplyDelete1. Give yourself permission to be happy.
2. Decide if you want to be right or happy.
3. Give up the delusion of control.
4. Feel your feelings.
5. Make haste to be kind.
6. Judge not.
7. Practice compassion.
8. Forgive everyone.
9. Develop an attitude of gratitude.
10.Be here now.
"Thank you, ..it is worth repeating!" - Brother John