Seeds of Gratitude: Imaginative Meditations

Choosing gratitude is a challenging discipline, especially in the face of much trauma and suffering. Yet it grounds us and returns us to our soul-home.

In the US, we are about to celebrate thanksgiving.  The season of Thanksgiving, and holidays in general, is painful for many who don’t have a warm place to be, friends and family to share a meal with, let alone finances to put food on the table, and for those who’ve lost loved ones.

Choosing gratitude is a challenging discipline, especially in the face of much trauma and suffering. It is a daring act that, according to Henri Nouwen, “transforms our past into a fruitful gift for the future, and makes our life, all of it, into a life that gives life.”

Yet it creates space in ourselves, returns us to our soul home, centers us on what is instead of what isn’t.

Choosing gratitude opens us up to receive, to lift our eyes above our circumstances, and to gain a new perspective. Dan Allender writes, “Gratitude opens the heart not only to wonder but to freedom.”

Many psychologists are saying it is not HOW but when and how often.

I invite you, wherever you are at, whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving or not, may the below practices ground you in the Source of Life, the God of Love, and all the nourishment available to you. You can do one, leading into the next, or separately.

with gratitude for you reader,

Bethany Dearborn Hiser

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Grounding Practice

Begin with the breath. Noticing your breath as it enters your nose, your windpipe, your lungs. Simply follow it as it goes in and out of your body.

Place the palm of one of your hands on your heart. Give thanks for your heart.

Feel your heart beating, letting its rhythm bring you into the present moment and into the awareness of God’s blessing on your life, beat after beat after beat.

Bring to mind something or someone you feel grateful for: a loved one, an ancestor, a favorite place or animal, or anything that makes you smile with unconditional love and joy.

Notice how you feel. 

“Relax your mind and let your heart relax at the same time, feeling the sensation of your blood vessels, muscles, and chest cavity opening in warmth and love for that particular loved thing.”

What do you enjoy about that one thing?

Imagine a seed of gratitude being planted in you, growing and expanding.

Where do you feel gratitude in your body?

What sensations do you feel?

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

"Things great have small beginnings. Every downpour is just a raindrop; every fire is just a spark; every harvest is just a seed; every journey is just a step because without that step there will be no journey; without that raindrop there can be no shower; without that seed there can be no harvest."
~ William Wilberforce