Gratitude - Five on Friday

1. Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, 

but the parent of all others

- Cicero -

Hello, Dear Friends, with Thanksgiving
just a week away, I wanted to share 5 quotes
on the subject of gratitude
with some thoughts of my own.

Gratitude is truly a way of life that
does not come naturally.
We are born in a state of want.....
this allows our needs to be met as infants
when we loudly express our desires.

As we grow and learn the virtues of
courage, faith, hope, wisdom, justice,
temperance, and charity,
we first must learn gratitude.

2.  As we express our gratitude, we must never forget
that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, 
but to live by them. 
- John F. Kennedy -

We learn gratitude by experiencing.

We feel gratitude when we overcome an obstacle
through courage.
We learn gratitude when we overcome a seemingly hopeless
situation with faith and hope.
We experience gratitude when we get justice.
We gain gratitude when we understand
that all experiences result in wisdom and temperance.
And we give gratitude when we understand
the meaning of charity.

3. True forgiveness is when you can say, 
"Thank you for that experience."
- Oprah Winfrey -

We also learn gratitude through adversity.
When we can come out the other side
and find the lesson.

We often learn gratitude by experiencing
the exact opposite of each virtue.
We sometimes learn the value of each
when it is lacking.

We learn to cultivate and appreciate that which
was not given.

Love, compassion, understanding, hope,
justice, temperance, charity.

We sometimes learn the value of these things
when we have not been given them,
but with wisdom, seek to cultivate
them in our own lives.

4. Cultivate the habit of being grateful for 
every good thing that comes to you, 
and to give thanks continuously. 
And because all things have contributed 
to your advancement, you should include 
all things in your gratitude. 
- Ralph Waldo Emerson -

Our past might be bittersweet,
but with wisdom we learn
gratitude for the lessons we have learned.

We move forward with compassion
for those experiences in our lives
because we received the gift of gratitude.

These lessons illuminate our lives
and help us move forward
to a happier future because we have
used our experiences to learn and grow
with gratitude.

5. 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 -

When we live in gratitude,
there is little room for
vice.

It is difficult to feel envy, greed,
intolerance, selfishness, self-pity,
hopelessness, or lack of faith
when you are in a state of grace.

When you have a grateful heart
you open the door....

To the power of wisdom, faith, hope,
courage, creativity, compassion,
and love.

It is not happy people who are thankful.
It is thankful people who are happy.

xoxo

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving,
Dear Friends!

I will be taking a little break
next week, but will see you soon!
xoxo
Today I am linking with:
Love Made My Home - Five on Friday




xoxo