Gratitude

#gratitude #tehillim #iamgrateful #whyamigrateful #mindfulness #whyyouaregrateful #aware #goodhealth #family #sunrise #blessings #outdoors #light #zoom #nature #friends #music #dance #home #garden #family #roofoverourheads #shabbatmeals #spring #nature #health

#time #facebookpost #covid19 #wordshavewings #sayingkaddish #mothersanddaughters #weremember #youropionions #yourthoughts

When we wake up in the morning we say Modeh Ani, where we thank God for the breaths we take, for the souls inside of us which are returned to us each day. We start the day with gratitude and we continue in that same spirit as the day continues, with blessings over food, over time, over events. When we breath in gratitude we are calmer, we are supremely aware of the life that goes on around us and in us and how we interact with the nature, with friends and family.

In this unusual time I am interested to note what we are grateful for. Years ago, after the current president was elected, I asked people on Facebook to let me know what they are grateful for. When I looked back over the comments this morning, I see that they are fairly consistent with what was written by friends over the past week. We are grateful for health, for family and friends, for safety, for nature, for God, for security and jobs, for a positive attitude.

This post is taken from my Facebook page...Without the bold print, without the likes and the smiley faces and id photos, these are your words. They are words that inspire rather than frighten, that evoke confidence rather anxiety. They are similar to words of prayer, with the greatest respect for the beauty and power of nature. There is an entire book of the Tanach devoted to gratitude and recognition of the power of nature. It is the Book of Psalms, or Sefer Tehillim. Today I will not include any Tehillim on this post, despite their beauty and power. Let your words be the words of praise, of gratitude and mindful awareness of ourselves and our surroundings. Let your words be the Tehillim, the words of prayer.

Thanks to those of you who posted on my Facebook timeline. Your words are prayers.

What Are You Grateful For?

A loving family, good friends, health, watching the sun rise, making art and music, reading, cooking, walking outdoors, and much more. I count my blessings, there are so many. Michael

Our homes with space, and light and outdoors! Miriam

I am grateful that I am nourished by nature, whenever I choose, in so many ways. I only have to walk outside. Bud

My immunocompromised husband is health! Laura

Health, goodness/kindness of my family. Also, talent and brilliance that H'gifted to them. Annie

Family and friends. Lori

Our homes with space and light and outdoors! Miriam

I am grateful that I am nourished by nature, whenever I choose, in so many ways. I only have to walk outside. Bud

For the roof over our heads when it rains. Reminds me of homeless and displaced people, so I pray for them! The modern technology that allows us to communicate with our children and grandchildren until we can touch them.

The sun seems to make everything hotter! On cloudy days, I remember that the sun is still shining above! HaShem, for all His kindness to us! Sarah

Warm showers, fragrances, life partners, Zoom, walks, pets, our happy places, hobbies, earphones to listen to music and podcasts, good food, the laughter of children and grandchildren, and good health. Leann

The nature that surrounds us in springtime. Margie

My health. Judith

My job is paying me and being able to be home with the girls now because of choosing that job. Debbie

I wake up with Modeh Ani and in awe of how I'm taken care of by HaShem no matter what is going on in my life. Lily

Headed out to the garden now. No more words needed! Robbie

The Mediterranean Sea and watching sunsets every day. Judith

Time. I am grateful for having it. Joe

My children. Rachel

For my work, which both exhausts me and energizes me and that I am able to do it from home. Randi

My husband, my children, family, friends, nature, books, health and crossword puzzles to name a few. Joanna

For health, time with family, for our jobs. Danya

Grandchildren, children and all that I've got. Julie

Grateful for the opportunity to be immersed in your culture (Jewish culture) for 10 years. Don

Thankful for coming out the other side of having Covid 19. Also for my friends and family that don't. Linda

For my work that gives me the opportunity to focus on something other than the pandemic. Leila

Simple pleasures: Family Shabbats on Zoom, HEALTH, a dog or cat to pet and love, food to create meals with, beds to snuggle in, sunshine, MUSIC, clients still giving me work, humor, a roof over my head. And the extraordinary new floating sensation of TIME- reinvented. Barbara

Family, friends, time and experiences in nature and music. Adam

That my mom instilled in me to always have a positive attitude. That has helped me through some tough times. Beverly

Reduce air pollution. Rachel

As stressful as it is right now, two jobs when some people have none and are worried how they will feed their families. Rachel

For the many blessings that we take for granted when life is going by at a million miles, but now that we have to stay home it's given me an opportunity to watch how the hosts burst through the ground, see how a squirrel eats a peanut. I watched two cardinals swirl around my house loop after loop swooshing through the trees in a circle again and again. I have seen a group of three blue jays hanging around on the fence eating berries, and just learning to appreciate that life is happening all around. I'm grateful for this opportunity to watch the spring of 2020 burst forward while normally I'd be working too hard and would hardly notice at all. Bryna

My family, friends, my kibbutz, my garden and Dr. Fauci. Barbara

That the sounds of traffic no longer drown out the chirping birds. Their songs are so lovely in the spring. Cindy

That my father is in a retirement home and that is doing everything in their power to protect their residents, the most vulnerable population, against Covid-19. I worry about him everyday. No distancing regimen is perfect. But they are using all of the tools available to them to minimize the risk, and for that, I am grateful. Scott

A loving family, good friends, health, watching the sun rise, making art and music, reading, cooking, walking outdoors and much more. I count my blessings, there are so many.

Michael

For my good health. I've learned over the years that nothing is more important. You really can't do anything without it. Each day I feel well I am thankful. Joy

For music and its power to lift, and to convey emotion. Ellen

Health! Family, friends and meaningful work, the great outdoors, the sun, the moon and the stars and even the rain, spring. Janet

Note: If you wish to add your thoughts on gratitude, feel free to comment below.