In Gratitude of the Darkness

Gratitude
I thank thee, friend, for the beautiful thought 
That in words well chosen thou gavest to me, 
Deep in the life of my soul it has wrought 
With its own rare essence to ever imbue me, 
To gleam like a star over devious ways, 
To bloom like a flower on the drearest days­ 
Better such gift from thee to me 
Than gold of the hills or pearls of the sea. 

For the luster of jewels and gold may depart, 
And they have in them no life of the giver, 
But this gracious gift from thy heart to my heart 
Shall witness to me of thy love forever; 
Yea, it shall always abide with me 
As a part of my immortality; 
For a beautiful thought is a thing divine, 
So I thank thee, oh, friend, for this gift of thine. 
Lucy Maud Montgomery

I say it every year, and I will continue to do so. I grew up celebrating the American Thanksgiving and though it is not my cultural holiday to celebrate nor appropriate, I give thanks nevertheless for the many blessings that have come my way. This year in particular, in spite of all the darkness that surrounded us, challenged our lives, and continues to drive us to the brink of frustration and desperation, there is so much to be grateful for.

It is important on days like this to make a clear distinction being thankful and grateful. The first is a fleeting concept based on a singular event or gesture. You are thankful for someone who picked something that fell down, or a delivery that arrived on time, perhaps even a milestone moment at work. The list is endless, but there is a limited level of depth and timeframe involved. This usually involves a reciprocal transaction. Something given and something received. A giver and a recipient. Blink, and the the emotion disappears almost as fast as it came.

Gratitude on the other hand, is governed by the soul and affects us at deeper levels. Gratitude involves values, attitude, generosity, kindness, empathy, sympathy, and everyting that you consider as pillars to your soul. You are the receiver, but the universe is the giver, not a single person in particular.

Let me direct your attention to the poem above. Most of you must have read Anne of the Green Gables as a child, and we associate the Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery with the book but seldom as a poet. In Gratitude, she presents us with the most precious reason for being grateful to another person – a beautiful thought. So to the universe, my family, friends, soul siblings, colleagues, my gratitude for the divine, the kindness and the generosity of a beautiful thought.

Yea, it shall always abide with me 
As a part of my immortality; 
For a beautiful thought is a thing divine, 
So I thank thee, oh, friend, for this gift of thine.