True Gratitude

How often do we feel true gratitude?  Saying thank you to people is courteous, but I am talking about feeling the gratitude.  Being grateful and feeling blessed goes much deeper than speaking words to others.    We can also look outside of ourselves to find appreciation in everything around us and for everyone that touches our lives.  By this I mean look up at the sky, at the moon, at the stars, at the birds and trees, I think you get what I'm saying.  Try doing this at least once a day (preferably not while driving:) and you will realize how much you have taken everything and everyone around you for granted.  You will begin to realize how amazing it all is.  Start saying "thank you" out loud, but to no one in general, for all that you have been blessed with.   In doing this, you will begin to see what feeling the gratitude means rather than just being courteous.  Make a list (mental or written) of what you are grateful for and go through your personal thank you's everyday.  I say my thank you's daily for each of my children, for my husband, for this life, for each of my animals, for the universe, etc.  Your list can be one thing or 50 things, it's up to you to determine what you are truly grateful for.  There are no rules to follow, nothing is set in stone and your list may change daily.  The important thing to remember is to start feeling grateful rather than just offering a reflex word.