Benefits of Giving Thanks—Inviting Blessings—You Will Receive More

I have a habit of meditating the minute I wake up in the morning. I always begin by giving thanks to the universe for the many blessings and gifts in my life. I have found this practice to be very beneficial. By giving thanks, you are inviting blessings, and you will receive more gifts.

Making a List
As I sit and meditate, the birds usually serenade me with sweet singing right outside my bedroom window. Their music reminds me of numerous things that are wonderful. I thank the spirit of God for those birds, and then I begin to list a number of other things for which to be grateful. As examples, I have a roof over my head, the sun is shining (and even if it is raining...I am appreciative because without either, nothing would grow), no squirrels or rats are currently running through my attic, I do not live in a war zone, I have friends, and on and on. I am most thankful for the spirit guiding me constructively on my lifelong journey.

Give Thanks Regardless of Current Problems
I do this ritual of giving thanks regardless of how things are currently going on in my life. For instance, I have been dealing with health issues and I could simply groan and moan, focusing on the problems. However, I know there is a greater plan in store—one currently unknown to me, but of which my spirit is aware. If I concentrate on the destructive, according to the Law of Manifestation, I will simply guarantee more of the same. Therefore, I choose to direct my attention to what is constructive in my life.

I could start my day feeling blue, but directing my attention to the many blessings and gifts around helps lift my spirit. Not only that, but it also allows other good things to come forward; it actually invites more assistance. If you look, you can find many constructive things in your life, even when it seems like things are falling apart.

Recognizing Constructive Gifts
For several weeks now, my gut has been telling me that I would soon be having car trouble. Even my dog, who is much attuned with the spiritual world and who absolutely loves to go for rides in the car, often refused to get in the car. It was as if she knew we would be stranded, putting her in jeopardy. Since it is summer, I only take my doggie with me when I can be assured that she will not have to be left in the car for more than a minute. Therefore, while running errands, she only gets to ride along on drive-through convenience trips, such as mailing letters at the outside postal letterbox, plus the drive-ups of the pharmacy and dry cleaning.

Today, one of the hottest days of the year, I needed to run several errands. I began by going to the Laundromat to wash my doggie's comforter. I usually take it, leave it to wash, and during the wash run-time, I take off and run more errands. I return later and then take the comforter out of the washing machine, putting it in the dryer, where I again leave with the intention of picking it up at the end of the dryer time limit I have set.

I knew I had approximately 45 minutes for the comforter to dry, so I took off to Half-Price Books, as I had some old books I wished to sell. Within 20 minutes, I was done and decided to go down to Target to buy some needed groceries and household items. However, when I stepped into my car and turned the ignition, nothing happened. I tried again--dead as a doornail.

I could have immediately freaked out, focusing on the hardship I was about to endure. I have an older model car, which has over 212,000 miles on it. The car runs good, and I intend to keep it until 'the wheels fall off,' so to speak. In other words, until it costs me more to repair it than to have a new car payment, I will continue to drive it. As I cranked the engine one more time, a thought immediately raced through my head--this is it, you are going to have to get a new car! Nevertheless, I immediately pushed that thought out of my mind--this was just the battery.

I calmly exited the car and called roadside assistance. Thank God that I had that service! They would be there in 45 minutes. Even though the temperature outside was over 100 degrees, I was sitting right in front of an air-conditioned store. So, I entered the store and began the wait. It did not appear long before the tow truck arrived since I had thousands of books, CDs, and DVDs that could be browsed.

In addition, I helped pass the time by instantly beginning the process to thank my spirit. Listing those things that were gifts were easy for me to do.

1. My car failed in front of an air-conditioned store--it seemed this was not a coincidence. I was relieved my older, mostly housebound dog was not with me, as she would have never survived the heat. Thank you again spirit for having the car die when she was not with me!
2. I could use the store to escape the heat myself. Having health issues, standing in the heat would have serious ill effects.
3. My car did not stop working at a stoplight, in the middle of traffic. Now THAT might have been a nightmare; cars honking, alone, with no one to push the car out of the way of oncoming traffic.
4. I had not already visited Target and purchased anything perishable. If I had, my groceries may have spoiled.
5. I had a cell phone to call for help.
6. Although I did need to get back to the Laundromat to pick up my dog's comforter, I merely called directory assistance for the phone number of the establishment and then called them, arranging for them to hold the item until I arrived.

When the roadside assistance arrived, the best possible scenario occurred--it was a minimal problem. Yes, my battery had failed. They jumpstarted my car and even gave me a bottle of cold water to drink while I waited. I drove directly to a repair station to have a new battery installed. It only took about 15 minutes. On the way home, I picked up my comforter. When I called the Laundromat to have them hold it for me, I was informed that they would charge me five dollars for this service. However, when I arrived and requested the comforter, the attendant waived the fee. Yippee!

Make a Choice
No matter how bad things appear to you, there is always something for which to be thankful. You may think your world is falling apart. However, is this really the case? Is there not a solution for anything? Since all is within, you can choose to focus on the destructive. Instead, giving thanks for the light and directing your attention to the constructive, you bring more of the same forward—you are inviting blessings. I know I brought that light and goodness forward today by giving thanks. I invite you to do the same, as you will receive more. Thanks for listening!

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