Friday, December 22, 2017

End of Year Gratitude & New Year Blessings


"You're going to be happy, " said life, "but first I'll make you strong."


By: Angela Mayah Solstice

The year 2017 brought to me the gift of gratitude. It wasn’t so much the lack of gratitude I possessed, but having gratitude when life was unfair and uncertain. At times I was tempted by the lures of a less virtuous path or some surely disastrous distraction to take my mind to another place, but I learned to hold on. I learned that the spiritual path wasn’t necessarily the easiest or carefree, but an endless cycle of strengthening my spiritual and personal fortitude. I finally learned that I had the power to persevere, that threats were imminent, but that with God’s grace, I would get through it strengthened and wiser. With this new confidence, gratitude became easier to practice in my daily thoughts and prayers.

Gratitude is not a prerequisite to sainthood or to receive blessings. Gratitude may come after you weather storms and finally, have a moment to look back and assess the damage. Gratitude may come to a realization all your own. The final days in December leading into the New Year are a great time to reflect. Fasting, praying, cultural celebrations, and more can assist in celebrating and finding gratitude for all the year brought to you. Simple exercises such as lighting candles, journaling, and vision boards can also help to get grounded and find new ideas and inspiration for the year ahead.

I want to thank all of you who have visited my blog. If simply curious or having found true insight and inspiration here, thank you for your willingness to read through my writings. May this New Year bring all that you're imagining and more!


Happy Winter Solstice and New Year!

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