Thank God!

Whenever I consulted my mother for guidance on personal issues, the first words she spoke were, “Thank God!” She exhibited an attitude of gratitude to God regardless of life circumstances and wanted to remind me of its value. She didn’t know anything about the science behind being grateful. She had not read that gratitude improves overall well-being, increases happiness, reduces depression, and strengthens resiliency; and, she didn’t keep a gratitude journal.

Being grateful was a way of life for my mother. She signs her memoir Waving from the Balcony: “This book is my testimony of how good God has been to me. To God be the Glory.” Inside her book, she writes, “From my perspective, God always moves according to what is best for us in the stream of human history.” Nothing was outside of the boundary of God. In other words, she believed that, “All things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are called according to God’s purpose” (paraphrased Romans 8:28, KJV).

There is an abundance of scientific knowledge about the benefits of having an attitude of gratitude. In this time of divisiveness in our nation, everyone could benefit from being more grateful. If we are really honest with ourselves, we would acknowledge that we don’t need instructions on how to be grateful or how to express kindness and appreciation to others. God placed these characteristics in our spiritual, physical, and emotional make-up. As my mother would say, “Thank God!”

“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.”~Maya Angelou