Living in the Light

GRATITUDE CHANGES SITUATIONS A few years ago, I woke up in the middle of a winter night feeling like I was sleeping outside in a cold tent, which is something that just doesn't happen to me. By morning, still cold, I looked at my electric clock to find that there were no numbers on it. It was just sitting there giving me a blank stare, and I realized that there was no electricity running through my house. There had been an ice storm that night, so I imagined that the storm was responsible for my lack of electricity and warmth. I did not even want to get out of bed because the atmosphere was icy cold. For about an hour, I kept thinking that the electricity would come back on at any minute. When that did not happen, I surveyed my situation to see how I could get warm. I mean, my thermostat indicated that it was only 58 degrees in the house! Well, I had no firewood, and no way to get heat. I could not even get my oven to turn on. I was afraid to drive on the ice so that meant I could not go to my mother's house (which, by the way, was warm) or anywhere else for that matter. Thank God, I did have hot water in my hot water heater. So, I prepared myself an extremely hot bath, and put essential oils in the water in order to indulge in aromatherapy. Before I got into the hot bath, I brought incense, candles and quartz crystals to sit on the rim of the bathtub. With all of this, I decided to just sit, be still, and meditate there. I remember that it was very quiet, because there were no sounds from the radio, television, or furnace as they all run on electricity. My space was quiet, and it felt wonderful. I could see the steam rising from the bathtub; I was very warm and began to be transported to a place of such peace and tranquility. I even began to receive answers to questions I had asked myself a year earlier, answers that, until that morning, had eluded me. The experience was absolutely stupendous. During this period in the bathtub, while meditating, I began to feel such gratitude for the items that I had brought into the bathroom. I felt gratitude for those things that were making me feel so comfortable at the time. With the exception of the crystals, I had never thanked God for these things: the hot water, essential oils, and the incense. All of them exist as parts of nature, and I realized that God always works through nature to support me--always. Often we do not recognize and show gratitude for these things that we frequently think of as being small and perhaps insignificant. How often do we even express gratitude for the heat in our homes when many people live and work in the cold every day? Most of us are so blessed to have warm homes, cars, and food to eat. When I was sitting in that hot water, I was so grateful. The gratitude washed over and through me like the water I was sitting in. It was a tremendous feeling, and I realized that I should practice being more grateful for the things that I take for granted, the so-called "little things". Gratitude involves acknowledging the gifts we have been given, realizing their true value, appreciating this value, and thanking the Creator for these gifts. Also, our gratitude is such an essential part in creating the good that God wants for all of us. For while I was in the warm tub sincerely expressing my gratitude for the experience, guess what happened? The lights clicked back on, and the electricity was back. I was so shocked. Being thankful and not resisting my condition created the atmosphere for the problem to be corrected. If we want to experience more goodness in our lives, we need to express gratitude for the goodness that is already here, ever present. I left the bathroom with the message that I should not wait until I am "in the dark" or uncomfortably cold before I express gratitude for all I have. God has truly allowed me to have all that I need in my life and for that, I am so grateful!!