There is nothing that gives wings to the soul as much as gratitude.

When I consciously practice gratitude as I do at the beginning of the day I can feel it flowing through me and around me like a kind of a light that brings a profound sense of well being to my whole being. With it comes a sense of harmony and balance that assures me that everything is as it should be.

Gratitude is an elixir that brings with it joy and the ability to perceive the blessing at the heart and center of our daily lives. It gives us perspectives and free us from the curse of constant complaints and the need to be in control.

In order to achieve it's full benefit we need to be consistent in our practice and keep our awareness fully sharpened, our senses wide open to everything around us.

Gratitude and its conscious practice is the portal through which we enter into the practice of every other virtue a person with a grateful heart sees the good all around them in everything and every body.

This may sound like pollyanna, but it is far, far greater than mere sentiment. It requires self discipline and a certainty that all things work together for the good.

It takes us safely through the times of challenge and often mitigates and tempers the impact of negative experiences.

It requires us to live with a heightened sense of awareness so that no moment of our lives lacks significance. With pratice being greateful becomes almost second nature, but we need to be consistent in consciously practicing it.

The only prescription to remedy the tidal waves of complaint, anxiety and fearfulness that can overwhelm us like a plague is to cultivate a purposeful attitude of deep and profound gratitude.