Begin Your Day With Gratitude

"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is “thank you,” it will be enough."

— Meister Eckhart

What's the first thought that comes into your mind when you awaken from sleep in the morning?

Do you express your gratitude to God for your life, your next breath, and for a new day? Do you give thanksgiving to God for the gift of your parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and your other ancestors who came before you and, without whom, you would not exist or have been nourished? Do you thank God for the gift of your spouse, your children, their spouses, and your grandchildren? Do you give thanks for your education, your teachers, fellow students, and other mentors? Do you thank God for the gift of your friends and acquaintances? Do you give thanks to God for your vocation, your employers, employees, co-employees, and your clients? Do you thank God for providing you with your talents and other gifts that you are called to share with others? Do you express your gratitude to God for the gift of creation itself? Do you give thanks to God for providing you with natural resources, and for those persons and companies who provide you with food, water, clothing, shelter, electricity, health care, and other material resources? Do you acknowledge and give thanks to God for your faith and for the Church? Do you express gratitude for the gift of the indwelling Spirit? Are you thankful for the gift of Jesus the Christ who offers salvation to all, and who showed to us the human face and essence of God? Do you express gratitude for the Good News of being called to experience, to promote, to live, and to be agents of God's reign, in communion with others, of love, truth, goodness, justice, peace, freedom, healing, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation? Do you humbly ask the Spirit to guide and empower you this day to love others as God loves you, especially for those in need, and to forgive you when you fail to do that?

We invite you to take time today, and at the beginning and end of every day, to express your gratitude to our loving God for the many everyday gifts and blessings that are given to you.