Aloha everyone,

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I am still in healing mode from knee surgery, so I spent a lot of time laying in bed with ice packs on my knee. This morning it was sunny, and I was overwhelmed with a profound sense of gratitude as I watched the sun and the wind play in the palm tree in my backyard. I am so grateful I have a home in Hawaii and palm trees in my yard. Gratitude plays a huge role in my life.

I remember quite clearly when I didn’t have enough money to pay my rent and living in Hawaii was only a dream. Owning a home was certainly not a possibility. Cultivating a sense of gratitude changed my life.

Each night I made a list of things for which I was grateful. I began playing a little game with myself, expanding that list each night. I have an altar next to my bed and on it I have a Mahalo card. Mahalo is the Hawaiian equivalent of gratitude. On it I have a long list of all the things I am grateful for, and when I want to create something in my life, I put it on my Mahalo card and give thanks for already having it.

I had several e-mails asking me for examples of a gratitude list, so I thought I would share a shortened version of my list with you and invite you to add your list in the comments section. I know many people who have gone from hopeless to happy simply by sharing their gratitude list on a daily basis with each other.

So here is a partial list of what I am grateful for:

the gift of life
angels and my spiritual connection
blue skies
rainbows
breath
my five senses
the earth
my home
my family
puppies
sunshine
rain
warmth
my readers
my ability to be grateful
abundance
ability to be happy no matter what
presence of love in my life
prayer
meditation
candles

And, believe me, I could go on for several pages. When I had no money, I was seldom grateful. It was amazing how my abundance increased exponentially with my ability and desire to be grateful.

Care to share your list?

With love and aloha,
Susan