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“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brene Brown

This is my prayer for Thanksgiving, and for every day that follows. It is comprised from a series of quotes from author Melody Beattie. She is known primarily for her self-help books on the issue of codependence, including the bestsellers Codependent No More and Make Miracles in Forty Days. She has overcome many hurdles in her life, and I find her perspective on giving thanks and gratitude especially meaningful.

Will you join me?

Thank God, life, and the universe for everyone and everything sent your way.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. It can turn an existence into a real life, and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Gratitude makes things right.

Gratitude turns negative energy into positive energy. There is no situation or circumstance so small or large that it is not susceptible to gratitude’s power.

We can start with who we are and what we have today, apply gratitude, then let it work its magic.

Say thank you, until you mean it. If you say it long enough, you will believe it.

– Melody Beattie

Happy Thanksgiving.

“In the ordinary choices of every day we begin to change the direction of our lives.” – Eknath Easwaran