Thanksgiving is this Thursday, but for me gratitude is not just for one day out of the year. It is a practice that has become essential to my well being, and I highly recommend it if it is not a regular practice for you.

It is easy to express thanks when someone gives you a gift, a compliment, or a smile. It is not so easy to remember when you feel left out, let down, or frowned upon.

I like to call upon the practice of gratitude whenever I am feeling a bit down or discouraged. I know that finding things to be grateful for, shifts my energy, opens my heart, and turns my frown upside down.

These days we have plenty to cause concern or upset. A minute of news can send my energy down the tube. I am sure you can relate. From war to politics to the economy to the environment, there’s plenty to cause concern - and rightfully so. Yet I know that my being depressed, upset, or angry is not going to help.

I choose to do what I can do. I ask myself if there is an action I can take that would help. If not, I turn within. I find a way to shift my energy. I know that at a minimum I won’t be bringing anyone else down by my energy. And as my energy shifts, maybe I will be inspired to do something that feels like a solution.

I find that as I begin saying what I am grateful for, new ideas pop in. Even if I start with something as simple as I am grateful for my breath, that can lead to gratefulness for my life, for lift itself. Each time I do it, I feel encouraged and inspired. I don’t always jump for joy, but I at least notice a faster pace to my step.

How can you incorporate mor gratitude in your life? What sense of gratefulness can you bring to your Thanksgiving table? Will you groan when someone asks everyone at the table to say what they are grateful for or will will you grin and say, “let me go first!”

I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving week. And may gratitude be a blessing for you in your life.

Lilia Shoshanna Rae

Healer and Angel Communicator

Author of The Art of Listening to Angels