A Grateful Heart

I have never met a grateful person who was not happy, and I have never met a happy person who was not grateful. Joy flows freely into grateful hearts.

Oliver Cromwell, English statesman (1599-1658), wrote: "Some men have food, but no appetite; others have appetite, but no food; I have both. The Lord be thanked." Simple gratitude for simple blessings.

Oh bed! Oh bed!
Oh delicious bed!

That heaven on earth to the weary head.

One day, early in our marriage, as my husband Micheal sat at the piano, he stopped playing to bemoan his financial situation, feeling impoverished and depressed. "Look at your hands, Micheal," I said. "Would you trade the use of your hands for ten thousand dollars? A hundred thousand? Would you sell the use of your hands for a million dollars?"

With each question, he responded in the negative. He could not sell his hands for any amount of money, he said.

"Then you are a millionaire," I happily announced, explaining that a millionaire is simply someone whose possessions are worth at least a million dollars. That revelation, he said, gave him a new perspective, and he felt a whole lot better.

With feet to take me where I'd go,

With eyes to see the sunset's glow,
With ears to hear what I would know, Oh, God, forgive me when I whine,

I'm blessed, indeed! The world is mine!

True wealth—and happiness—lie within. If we can't find joy here and now, will we find it anywhere? Very little is needed to make a happy life. It is all within us, in our way of thinking. A Swedish proverb says, "Those who wish to sing always find a song." It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.

Some time later, those few years in which Micheal was "retired" were incredibly wonderful. We had little money, but our needs were simple, our hearts grateful, and we wanted for nothing. I will never forget the day that we, with our two little children, walked along the river near our home for a picnic, a place far removed from the world of getting and spending. Perhaps it was the indescribable beauty of that autumn day, the clear azure sky with the sunshine filtering through the colorful leaves overhead—or maybe it was simply being with those I loved most in the world. But I was overcome with such a sense of well-being and joy and contentment that I felt my heart would burst. "Life can't get much better than this," I thought.

Be grateful for the blessing lent

Of simple tastes and mind content!

—Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-94)

There is no pleasure on earth like having a grateful heart. True wealth comes from enjoying what we have, not getting more of what we think will make us happy. We have to want what we already have, or more will never be enough.

Think of what you have instead of what you want. When you want what you have, you'll always have what you want. If you wish to be rich, don't add to your money, but subtract from your desires. As one woman said: "One of the best things about getting older is that all those things you wanted and couldn't afford when you were younger, you no longer want."

The less we want, the more we have. All we have is all we need—and all we need is the awareness and gratitude for what we have. Playwright Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) wrote: "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." Counting our blessings in a gratitude journal can be a powerful means of keeping the abundance that surrounds us in full view and sharp focus.

Someone else said, "Many there are who are surfeited [overfed; to excess] by the luxuries of life, in which they find but little pleasure, while others are exceedingly happy in the enjoyment of the most meager comforts. The extent of our possessions by no means determines the happiness they bring. Instead, it is our sense of appreciation that measures the value of what we have."

What is success? To live a lot, love a lot, laugh a lot, and from it all, learn a lot. With such a perspective, with priorities firmly in place, and with gratitude in our hearts, we can live abundantly, our lives filled with peace and happiness—on any income. Let us consider the rich blessings of life—the enduring kind that will yield their fruit of joy as long as eternity lasts. For this hope and promise and joy, we can be truly grateful. Enjoy the feast!