The Gratitude Box

 In her book entitled "Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self", Sarah Ban Breathnach writes,"Being grateful.  That's the first step to the path of joy."  Isn't that really what we all want?  Imagine how wonderful it would be to live a life that is filled with joyful moments.  Does that thought seem unrealistic to you?  Consider this.  What if reality is relative?  Perhaps it is possible for us to choose our own reality based on how we think and what we feel.  
Life can be as easy or as difficult as we make it. It's a choice that we make every day based on our attitude about life.  We've all heard it, time and time again, "seek and ye shall find."  Seek the good and you will find the good.  Seek misery and you can find that too.
Do you know what you are wanting? If we do indeed create our own reality based on our thoughts and feelings, then it makes sense to pay attention to what we are thinking.  Instead of focusing our attention on that which does not bring joy, we can look for the good.

For that purpose I've created a "Gratitude Box."  I took a small gift box and covered it with torn pieces of colored origami paper.  Then I embellished the box with words and phrases that spoke to the idea of gratitude.  At least in my interpretation.  To make it even more interesting and beautiful, I attached beads and ribbons.  Inside the box, I sometimes place slips of paper on which I've written things that I'm grateful for.  There is also a small plastic frog that I keep in the box.  The frog is an acronym for F-fully, R-relying, O-on, G-God.  The frog is a gentle reminder that I'm not in this alone.  God is present in me, in the people I encounter and in every circumstance of life.

The Box and the Frog are wonderful tools that I use often to keep my mind centered on the beauty and wonder of life.  I hope that you will make your own Gratitude Box, and use it often.