When I was a kid, we used to have Al-Anon meetings in our house every week for years. I would always be hidden away in my room, but you couldn't help but hear all of the stories and the chanting of prayers and sayings that went on during these meetings. One of the sayings that I remember hearing is that you should have an Attitude of Gratitude. It always stuck with me. In addition to Sister Mary Brendan telling me that there is Grace in every situation, I spent most of my formative years looking for the Grace in my life and feeling grateful for what I had. Today's Share The Love Sunday comes from Goodlife ZEN and is about 8 Grateful Habits That Will Transform Your Life.  From Mary Jaksch of Goodlife Zen:

The part that is often missing or de-emphasized is the importance of developing a consistent gratitude habit.

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude does take work, but it also works. The secret of those who’ve successfully used gratitude to transform their lives is their commitment to practicing gratitude on a daily basis – including those days when they don’t feel particularly grateful.

Here are the 8 things:

1. Thank one person every day.
2. Keep a gratitude journal (with a twist).
3. Take deep breaths.
4. Pay attention.
5. Track your moments of spontaneous joy.
6. Carry a symbol.
7. Give thanks before each meal.
8. Take a look in the mirror.

To read the full descriptions of the 8 items, you can read the full blog post on her site here.

One of my favorite spiritual practices is to be grateful for three things each morning. Just after I get out of bed, I go outside and raise my eyes to the sky, toward the sun, and name three things I'm thankful for. It's a wonderful way to begin the day!!!