Gratitude is such a tiny word and yet encompasses so much. When we get so caught up in the humdrum routines of our lives, we sometimes forget to say, Thank you, to our Creator, or to people around us.

When I was a child, I used to observe that when my grandpa woke up in the mornings he would whisper a few words quietly before getting out of bed. I one day asked him what he said and to whom. He told me he was thanking God for giving him another day, when he could get out of bed, brush his teeth, eat his breakfast, and go about his daily chores, without having to depend on anyone else. He was grateful for God’s blessings, big and small throughout his life.

Of course, sometime during the day he might lose his temper, if he was told that he could not eat the roast pork his wife had made or his secret stash of cigarettes were confiscated, but that didn’t stop him from always being grateful for all his blessings. In most people’s books, he had little to be grateful for. He hadn’t led an easy life, being orphaned at an early age, 2 of his children had died before their teens, and his profession had been a tough one, but he never gave up on life and God. He was a rather contented man and got by with whatever little he had, passing away peacefully at the age of 89 with a smile on his lips.

I have a little, white pebble, which I picked up from a beautiful white beach. Nothing very special about it…it is smooth and has some grey veins running across it. I call it my gratitude stone. I keep it on my desk where I can see it and everyday I hold it and remind myself of some of the things I am grateful for. When I am in an especial whiny kind of mood and need to remind myself that I am blessed, I hold it for an even longer time. All of us have problems in life and sometimes those problems can seem to have no solution and we wallow in a morass of self-pity. This may be fine for a short while, since grief needs its cathartic stage. However, Self-pity is one of most depressive and consuming shortcomings that we can indulge in. It cuts us off from our friends and family because of its extravagant demand for attention and sympathy. . It is a mawkish kind of martyrdom, which none of us can really afford. The best way to pull oneself out of a state of self-pity would be to remember all that we are grateful for.

Today I am grateful for…

• My husband’s continued good health
• My mother keeping well, in spite of health constraints
• My dad being able to work so passionately past the age of 75, after a heart attack.
• My daughter enjoying and excelling at her job
• My circle of friends who mean the world to me
• Being a citizen of a country where I have freedom of expression
• Being able to read and appreciate hubs from so many parts of the world

 I do have my fair share of Hallelujah moments for which I am truly grateful.

So how do we send that message of how grateful we are out to the world? A smile directed at a stranger, a compliment to a colleague, a day spent with a troubled friend, a pat on a child’s back, a thoughtful little gesture for a sick neighbour...it all doesn’t end with you…but passes on like ripples to the next person and then to the next.And we have a circle of eternal gratitude..

And this is my wish for all those who read this hub-

May your good be better and your better be blessed...

So what are YOU grateful for??