Gratitude Quote: Rita Mae Brown

“I still miss those I loved who are no longer with me but I find I am grateful for having loved them. The gratitude has finally conquered the loss.”  ~ Rita Mae Brown

This quote by Rita Mae Brown is so true for me. Although my heart can feel the loss of those I've loved, when I shift my thoughts to gratitude, my heart becomes full in another way.

My gratitude fills me with so much appreciation for the many wonderful gifts I've received from having had these dear ones in my life. I can focus on the moments shared, the love, the precious memories, and how each of these special loved ones have touched my heart and altered who I am. I can appreciate the effect each have had on me and the trajectory of my life.

In doing so, I have allowed my gratitude to supersede my feeling of loss and sadness. I am uplifted by love and appreciation and it feels good.

Gratitude Quote: Maslow

“(Some people) have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.”
                                                      ~ A.H. Maslow

Each moment is an opportunity to renew our feelings of appreciation. Gratitude is truly an experience we have in the present. Any feelings or expressions of gratitude from our past are gone. We only have now to be appreciative.

Every morning, I give thanks for another day of life; for the opportunity to love, to learn, to be creative, and to be me for another day. It feels good to take the time to appreciate the new day ahead and all of its possibilities. Any thankfulness for the days gone by have no relationship to this day.

The way I see it, the same is true for all my appreciations. I get to continuously light up my life each time I feel thankful for one of the many gifts that bless my existence... no matter how many times I have appreciated that gift before. It is now that I delight in the good things that touch my days and I am so happy to say thank you in any new moment.