So Many Ways to Experience Gratitude
Creating a gratitude journal for publication endowed us with 12 chapters offering different ways to look at and appreciate the things in our lives that can be all too easy to take for granted. Here these topics are arranged in the order in which the chapters appear in the current version of the book, Magic, Miracles and Synchronicity. You may note that they range from the most simple and obvious to increasingly challenging aspects of seeing the blessings we receive throughout our lives.
Tangible, Concrete Blessings
Daily Riches
Valuing the functionality, usefulness, convenience, beauty, and abundance of material possessions at home and at work; recognizing choices; having an awareness of evidence of prosperity and abundance in your life.
Wonder All Around
Noticing and valuing beauty in the environment; appreciating textures, colors, and sounds in nature; having an awareness of visual and sensory abundance.
Angels in Disguise
Having appreciation for people—family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, helpers, and unseen and behind-the-scenes helping hands—and for the comfort, guidance, help, support, love, learning, and service you receive from them.
Abstract, Intangible Blessings
The Pleasures of Service
Creating opportunities to experience the gifts of giving, helping, offering physical kindness, emotional connectedness, spiritual support; reaching out, experiencing forgiveness.
Magic, Miracles and Synchronicity
Becoming aware of special gifts, “coincidences” or unexpected happenings, favors, intuitive messages, surprise calls or encounters, special connections, seemingly magical intervention, inspiration, and out-of-the-blue information that shows up at just the right time.
Dreams and Visions
Noticing and remembering images or messages from dreams, daydreams, meditation, reflection, trances, or déjà vu experiences; valuing your thoughts, inspirations, imagination, gut feelings; listening and paying attention to your inner guidance.
The Wish List
Focusing on abundance and possibilities; receiving and deserving; identifying goals, burning desires, and longings; appreciating the optimism and hope inherent in goal and dreams; recognizing spiritual, emotional, social, personal, psychological, or financial manifestations of wishes fulfilled.
The Joy of Creation
Appreciating our power to create love, joy, comfort, assurance, safety, beauty, order, magic, miracles, and synchronicity—for ourselves and others; making things better; recognizing our ability to influence our lives and create change.
Very Personal Blessings
The Gift of Perspective
Noticing changes and improvements in your life, lifestyle, habits, finances, thinking, focus, and interactions; remembering or retrieving “pieces of self” that were lost or forgotten along the way; recognizing the invisible; faith, growth, personal change; interconnectedness, possibilities, and a sense of a bigger picture as a context for our lives.
A Pat on the Back
Acknowledging the value and power in your achievements, accomplishments, courage, completion, growth, self-discipline, constructive choices, personal integrity, determination, follow through, willingness, faith, surrender; trusting self; self-acknowledgement.
The Miracle in the Mirror
Valuing your physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual self; acknowledging creative attributes, skills, qualities, talents, healing, physical health, and beauty; recognizing and appreciating your authentic self.
Life Experience Blessings
Silver Linings
Having an appreciation for the present-time benefits of past hurts, childhood traumas, losses, criticism, or addiction, as well as recent painful, frustrating, or disappointing events; self-forgiveness; overcoming adversity; acknowledging the boundaries you have learned to set, as well as growth and strength you’ve gained as a result of surviving difficult, painful, or challenging experiences.
These “dimensions of gratitude” summarize the aspects explored in the book, Magic, Miracles and Synchronicity, by Dr. Jane Bluestein, Judy Lawrence, M.S.Ed., and SJ Sanchez, M.P.A. © 2009, Father Sky Publishing/I.S.S. Publications, Albuquerque, NM. (This book was previously published under the title Daily Riches.)
© 1998, 2005, 2012, 2022, Dr. Jane Bluestein
Related resources:
Excerpt: Wonder All Around
Excerpt: Silver Linings
8 Ways to Live in Gratitude
15 Ways to Live Optimistically
36 Things You can Do to Feel Great
Free download: Angels in Disguise certificate
Free download: The Gift of Service certificate
Podcast: An Attitude of Gratitude, conversation with Judy Lawrence
Visit the Magic, Miracles and Synchronicity website devoted to gratitude and appreciation.
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