JFT August 7 - The Gratitude List

[margo]

"We focus on anything that isn't going our way and ignore all the beauty in our lives."
Basic Text, p.77

It's easy to be grateful when everything runs smoothly. If we get a raise at work, we're grateful. If we get married, we're grateful. If someone surprises us with a nice present or an unasked favor, we're grateful. But if we get fired, divorced, or disappointed, gratitude flies out the window. We find ourselves becoming obsessed with the things that are wrong, even though everything else may be wonderful.

This is where we can use a gratitude list. We sit down with a pen and paper and list the people for whom we are grateful. We all have people who've supported us through life's upheavals. We list the spiritual assets we have attained, for we know we could never make it through our present circumstances without them. Last, but not least, we list our recovery itself. Whatever we have that we are grateful for goes on the list.

We're sure to find that we have literally hundreds of things in our lives that inspire our gratitude. Even those of us who are suffering from an illness or who have lost all material wealth will find blessings of a spiritual nature for which we can be thankful. An awakening of the spirit is the most valuable gift an addict can receive.

Just for today: I will write a list of things, both material and spiritual, for which I am grateful.
pg. 229

Just For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics Anonymous©

[Gabe]

"An awakening of the spirit is the most valuable gift an addict can receive."
Beautiful.

[margo]

Somewhere in my active addiction I forgot how to be grateful, and even though there were many things to be grateful for in early recovery - meetings to go to, people in my life who were ready to help me with my recovery, the job I had managed to hang onto, a family who still loved me - all I could focus on were the negatives in my life. I used to hear people share about the gifts of recovery and I thought they were all crazy! Like, what's so wonderful about THIS? It took me a while to realize I was blessed with so many good things, all of them right under my nose, and all I had to do was look for them. There are so many things I have to be grateful for today, first and foremost the program of Narcotics Anonymous and those beautiful members who are teaching me a new way to live. Today I'm a grateful recovering addict.

[Gooch]

seems like our natural ability to be able to ignore all the blessings and focus on the bad stuff, even when it's outnumbered 10 to 1.

I'm grateful there are so many on this path that can help me remember I have the choice to look for my gratitude.