Gratitude is a skill that you practice

an Internet poem by Danny Howie Bloom
(c) 2005

Gratitude is a skill that you practice
and get better at
said a third-grader in school one day

yes, gratitude is something we learn
as we get older
accumulating wisdom and knowledge

but sometimes we forget

gratitude is something to be thankful for
it is a skill worth practicing
over and over again
until we get it right

we need to appreciate what's good in our lives
instead of always complaining
looking at the negative side of things.

yes, gratitude is a skill that you practice
and get better at
month by month
year by year

and over a lifetime
we might finally learn how to say

thank you

thank you to the universe
thank you to God
thank you to our parents
thank you to our loved ones
thank you to our children
thank you to our teachers

gratitude is a skill that you practice
until you get it just right
and it doesn't happen overnight

it takes a lifetime of rehearsals
awareness and an open mind
to fully appreciate all the good things
that have come our way
on this journey from not being to being
on this pilgrimmage among the stars
on this pathway to enlightenment and aha!

Learn to say thank you
in as many languages as you can master
and tell it to everyone you love and care for

thank you
thank you
thank you

merci,
gracias,
shieh shieh,
arrigato

and as you practice gratitude
day by day
year by year
Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving...

gratitude will become you
it will suit you fine
and you will become one
with thankfulness.

Gratitude is more than a 9-letter word,
it is a gift from life.

Use it!

(c) 2005 Danny Howie Bloom

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