Gratitude has always been an aspect of universal expression that has taken me by surprise with its power and enormity. When I first read and learned about thankfulness as a spiritual practice I immediately experienced the transformation that naturally occurs when one is truly grateful.

However my most powerful lessons in gratitude came from my dear Father. There were so many ways in which he taught me the true essence of the word thank you.

He would say thank you, for what we would deem to be the smallest thing, and yet he understood that what we felt was the smallest thing, was actually the biggest thing in the world.

There is nothing more humbling than being in receivership of another human being’s thank you.

Visiting my Father in a residential elderly care home gave me another window into gratitude. I would regularly be around people who were unable to leave their home.

One day I was dancing in a 5 rhythms dance class and it dawned on me that I could intend my dance for my Father, so that on a quantum or ethereal level he would experience the freedom of my movement as being an expression of his own liberty. In that moment the dance transformed from being focused on my own Self, to movements infused with the intention of being a purposeful gift. Suddenly each movement felt like a miracle in its own right and I became filled with a natural ability to move more fully and freely than in any previous class.

As time went on I became overwhelmed with gratitude at the absolute gift of having the freedom to move. This shift in perspective can transform a tedious walk to the station into a direct experience of awareness, noticing the myriad of gifts that stare us in the face each day, largely unnoticed. Hearing the noisy sounds of traffic means that we are outside, surrounded by different colours, textures, sounds, people and most of all – Life.

The realisation that every single moment holds the opportunity to notice how alive we are opens us up to Gratitude on entirely new levels of experience. In this grateful state we assume that everything is a free gift and everything is also a miracle. The gifts of sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, laughter, love and joy when given, are all free. When we experience gratitude for these gifts we open up a spiritual gateway to the divine and the more we notice, the more we are noticed.

I believe that gratitude holds a supreme opportunity for spiritual, physical and material expansion. When my Father would say thank you to me for something, he would say it with all parts of himself; his presence, his words, his eyes and his heart. His thank you was so powerful that even if said in a barely audible whisper, it would move all levels of reality. I witnessed him experience regular miracles throughout his life and even more so towards the end. When we say thank you with that level of faith, presence and heart, whatever you perceive to be your source will always answer.

An even more profound level of learning occurs when we connect Gratitude to Faith. It is a big jump in our grateful learning curve to also say thank you for the events and circumstances which we don’t feel like being grateful for. This is when we learn to surrender and trust that there is a divine force co creating reality with us, that always has our best interests at heart, even when we can’t see the full picture. When we widen our perceptual lens and begin to perceive through grateful and faithful eyes we can turn our deepest woes into our biggest gifts.

I have been a practitioner of mindfulness for some time now and have taught many clients how to meditate mindfully. Since my 5 rhythms experience I have found that a mindful state naturally and effortlessly arises when one is grateful, especially when in any type of motion. Mindful walking is easy when you are delighted to be taking each step, experiencing it as a miraculous gift, much like a child who is learning to walk.

Gratitude in turn leads to unbounded Faith as we have the realisation that everything is indeed a miraculous gift and therefore Faith is really all we need.

Faith naturally occurs when we begin noticing our gifts and therefore Mindfulness becomes a natural result of Gratitude.

I am so grateful to my Father for having opened my awareness towards the infinite magic that a heartfelt Thank You can bring.

I am also truly grateful to my Father for inspiring me to find Quantum Touch and for each of you in this beautiful healing community.

You all inspire me and light up our collective vision, illuminating the path for others. I am blessed to have connected with such empowered and visionary healers. Thank you for bringing your love and being so willing to use it as a powerful force for healing.

I invite you to join me in this moment to expand this light. What are you grateful for right now?

How many people can we collectively say thank you to today and how many things we can find to be spiritually, materially and physically thankful for now? I was recently taught by a spiritual leader that being grateful for and noticing all the “cogs in the wheel” opens up the universe to you even more. For example, being grateful to all those who contributed to the food you are eating, such as giving thanks spiritually for having the food, to the earth for growing it, to those who harvested it, picked it, packaged it, unpacked it etc. This connects you so deeply and wholly in gratitude to many more aspects of the experience.

Take a moment as you read this to tune into your gifts, whether it is the gift of being able to read, of having access to a computer or anything at all that brings you joy and happiness. Give yourself a most wonderful gift – Gratitude.

Please share your Gratitude experiences of this moment in the comments box

THANK YOU!