A Prayer of Gratitude

I lift my gaze to the sun, the moon,
the stars, to the birds of the air, 
to the universe of mystery, to the
everything and the nothing.

I lower my gaze to the earth, 
to the plants, the animals, 
to the crawling things,
to all that grounds me into Gaia—

the bosom of the mother who
nourishes, protects, challenges,
and grieves, who is alive in
her evolution, who pulses life.

I open my heart to those before me,
to the whispers of love and compassion,
to the cries of war and hate, and on to 
my shadow of fear, pain, and sorrow.

I look to the mountains, the seas,
the vast life before me—the unknown.
For it all, my heart says, yes, 
in gratitude for life, for the journey,

the opportunity to be in body,
in human form, walking each day
with those who seek, who carry light,
who reach to touch the stars to earth—
an angel's kiss. I bow in gratitude.

(Image my own)

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

-Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.”

-Henry Van Dyke

“Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.”

-Lionel Hampton