Thank You!

Recently, Rev. Carmela delivered a series of Sunday talks based on the book "The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity" by Edwene Gaines, a Unity minister.  This happens to be one of my favorite books on the topic of prosperity consciousness, so on Sunday mornings I found myself eager to receive a refresher on each of the four laws and to hear Edwene's stories, which are all very familiar, recounted in the talks.

In one of her messages, Rev. Carmela shared the story of how Edwene made a decision early in her exploration of the laws of prosperity to refrain from complaining, gossip, and criticism for 21 days - because she had heard that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, and she was trying to elevate her consciousness so that it would support her vision of prosperity.  To take it one step further, when something happens that we don't like, rather than complaining or blaming or criticizing, Rev. Carmela suggested that we practice simply saying "thank you" as a way of demonstrating a sense of gratitude and also non-resistance, which are essential for experiencing prosperity, as well.

I decided to try adopting this practice of saying "thank you" in the face of events or circumstances I don't like.  Lately, I've found myself being very critical and grousing at the most minor of inconveniences.  This kind of grouchiness seems to run in my family and tends to get worse with age - haha! - so I can recognize it pretty easily, and I made a commitment long ago not to perpetuate it.  But here I am being grouchy on a fairly regular basis, so it's time to take a look and see where I need to make some changes.

What would it look like and feel like to say "thank you" throughout the day, even when things aren't going my way?  Something like this . . .

My cat peed on my dining room floor again today - thank you.
My oldest child has found yet another way to circumvent the rules - thank you.
Another school shooting and still no action from Congress - thank you.
Nobody in my house seems to know where the recycling bin is - thank you.

I have a feeling it's going to take a while for me to be able to feel true gratitude for the events and circumstances in my life that don't match my vision of how things should be.  For now (I'm sure you can tell) I'm delivering these expressions of gratitude with a snarkiness that probably renders them mostly ineffective.  But I do notice that my energy shifts when I say "thank you."  And I believe that it's possible to get better with practice.  As I continue to say the words "thank you" out loud throughout my day, I imagine I will notice that I begin to soften around the people and situations that really get under my skin and that I will begin to experience a feeling of true gratitude no matter what is happening around me.

~REBECCA