The Attitude Of Gratitude

The Best of Jamie's Column: The Attitude Of Gratitude

People are always talking about living our life in gratitude. I often wonder, with the fast
paced lives most of us lead, if we understand the importance of learning to give thanks for all that we
experience in life. I have those quick little flashes from time to time when I can see how blessed I am. I have
those moments of knowing that I must see more of the good in my world and less of what we consider to be the
bad, to realize that life truly is an extraordinary gift, that every breath, every heartbeat, and every sunrise is a
miracle in itself. I love when I slip into that place of awareness, or I find that I am suddenly awake enough to pay
attention to that inner nudging that calls me to rise to a level of greater understanding, a level of giving thanks
for all the goodness in my life.

Several years ago I was asked to go to Kingston, Jamaica, and speak to Unity of Kingston on their Friendship
Sunday. I was amazed at the poverty I witnessed as I was driven through the city. I saw homes made of
cardboard and mismatched pieces of wood. I sat in the back seat of the beautiful new chauffeured Volvo, and I
suddenly felt overcome with a mixture of both sadness and overwhelming gratitude. I peered out the window at
what appeared to be lack and deprivation, but what I saw were the faces of these wonderful Jamaican people
smiling and waving as we passed. I wondered how they could be joyous when they lived in such destitute
conditions. I thought of the home where I lived and of how, when I was even the least bit hungry, I could be fed
with little thought or fear of not having something to fill that void. Suddenly I was mindful of just how blessed I
am. I was humbled to witness this world I knew nothing of, and to be jolted into feeling a deep-seated gratitude I
had not experienced before. I often allow myself to recall that scene when I neglect to be grateful for the
abundance that surrounds me each and every day. I give thanks for the understanding that true happiness and
contentment is not found in the material things of this world, but is always found within oneself.

I remember Willadeene Parton telling me when I interviewed her for my television show, that she and Dolly,
along with the other ten children in the Parton family, never knew they were poor. They were happy with life, as
they knew it, because it was all they had ever known. It wasn't until someone came along and told them they
were poor did they become aware of what it was they lacked, compared to most who lived beyond the
mountains of the world they called home. In her song Coat of Many Colors, Dolly wrote these words. "It is true
we had no money, but I was rich as I could be in my coat of many colors mama' made for me…But they didn't
understand it and I tried to make them see that one is only poor only if they choose to be…"

Be thankful for your life! Be blessed in knowing that you wake up each morning and have the opportunity to
make this world a better place. Life does not live us, life does not just happen to us, but we live life. We choose
the course of our journey and life happens through those choices. I am blessed…You are blessed…. Life is
wonderful! Live each moment in gratitude and watch the blessings unfold. Until next month, be good to yourself,
be good to others, and keep spreading " The Light."

Jamie Sanders is an ordained New Thought Minister, ordained through The Barbara King School of Ministry in
Atlanta, Georgia. He has been the producer and host of his own weekly television program, "Positive Living" and
is an active speaker, workshop facilitator and performer for Unity Churches, retreats and other New Thought
organizations. He is a featured columnist for "The Light" and "Alternatives" magazine and currently resides in
Fort Walton Beach, Florida. For more information on available dates for speaking or for correspondence you can
e-mail him at Jamie1118@aol.com, or visit his web site at www.jamiesanders.com