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Why gratitude packs a surprising punch
This article was originally published in The Christian Science Monitor.
I rolled my eyes; my heart sank. I had drawn the “gratitude card.”
I thought: “Couldn’t she do better than this?” Gratitude seemed pretty lightweight. I was expecting the Christian Science practitioner who was praying with me for healing to give me some great spiritual idea that would inspire me and lift me out of the mental darkness and sickness I was dealing with. But “No,” I mumbled to myself, “I got stuck with the gratitude assignment.”
The practitioner asked me to think of things I was grateful for. So reluctantly I decided to try to come up with some gratitude. I was surprised; it wasn’t that hard. I immediately thought of three things: I was grateful that a friend was willing to drive me to pick up my car at the mechanic; I was grateful that I was going to eat dinner; and I was grateful for love in my home. Nothing too dramatic – pretty easy and simple things to thank God for.
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