Like a river, gratitude flows from a source of nourishment, like the rain, we need to add to our river by looking at our blessings. When gratitude flows through our lives we have a never-ending source of nourishment and life giving water allowing our lives to blossom and grow... Gratitude is one of the things I find must be nurtured. We find ourselves taking for granted some of the same things we cherished and were thankful for just a short time ago? Do you find yourself overlooking the small but powerful everyday things? You know what I mean, the things that used to make us sigh and grin, that now have become just routine. I find that there are some simple steps we can use to stay in touch with our Gratitude. When we stay in a State of Gratitude our lives become more exciting and more colorful? So how do we stay in that Gratitude? Here are the steps I take on a daily basis:

1. Meditate? There are places and moments in which one is so completely alone that one sees the world entirely. Take the time to Feel the Peace as well as Enjoy the peace of meditation? Think on these things: what is Just, what is Good and what is Lovely. Take time to hear yourself think? to do this we must still the mind. This is very important so that you may truly know yourself? so avoid distractions that prevent you from quieting your mind.

2. Take another Look? If your only value is what you see, you will miss out on the hidden blessings all around us? look for all the blessings you can find everywhere and every day. Buy some flowers or candies, and put them someplace where you and others can enjoy them. Count the smiles they bring.

3. Write it down? Let the Tale Unfold; the life of every person is a diary in which he/she may express the blessings that have touched their Souls? When we read our journals later in life we will smile?

4. Take a moment to sit outside? and enjoy the splendor of a star filled sky or sunrise, really look at the details of a flower and listen to the birds? Use your 5 senses to experience nature.

5. Share it with a friend? Surround yourself with people who are going to lift you higher? when you share something out of gratitude you always receive more? The fragrance always remains on the hand of the person who gives the rose.

6. Celebrate the Differences? Sometimes the way to gratitude is through the unfamiliar feelings. Embrace the differences in everything, people, flowers, and animals? Thankfully these differences give us color in our lives.

7. Live in the Moment? Never lose sight of the fact that life is lived in the moment? Be Grateful for where you are? and not wish for somewhere else? Pining for some distant shore may be a nice mental vacation, but don't let it rob you of the simple pleasures that surround you now? Life isn't about the breaths we take; it's about the moments that take our breath away.

So now you know what I do to stay in gratitude? Most of all combine your gratitude with Laughter? Like a welcoming rain, laughter lightens our hearts and cleanses our Soul? Always look for the Blessing, something to be grateful for. In every problem there is the solution and gratitude is the compass to find the way out. When you are grateful in any situation many Paths will open up. I know you will have an awesome time using these steps to change not only your attitude but as a result your life.