The Simplest Prayer
by Cynthia Sue Larson “You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world’s happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.”
-Dale CarnegieThere is an art to appreciation, and a reward that far outweighs any problems. The art is that appreciation is a gift of the heart, of the spirit, of the soul from you to another… there is no fixed formula for success. True appreciation is spontaneous, natural, sincere and freely offered.The reward for offering such appreciation is that whatever you appreciate shall become a bigger part of your life. Anything you spend your time and attention on will be a part of your life, but there is something extra-special about the gratitude in appreciation that brings these gifts.Gratitude has long been understood to be at the heart of living a spiritual or meaningful life, as can be seen in the writings of Melody Beattie and Meister Eckhart:“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
-Melody Beattie“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”
-Meister Eckhart Whether you share your love and gratitude with people, animals, rocks, or the wind… your grateful feelings, honestly shared will transform your life.The simplest prayer is “Thank You”. You can say it any time, and see what a difference it makes!
