Universal Law of Gratitude

This is your card reading for Thursday, July 20th/17.  Your card today skimmed out of the 'Universal Laws of Conscious Creation' card deck authored by Lara Solara, Dana Da Ponte, and Marlene Chapman.  Your card is 'Universal Law of Gratitude', and the author's message for the card is this:
"The Law of Gratitude states that the feeling of appreciation is a powerful vibration that attracts further good and generates more conditions in your life to feel grateful about. Gratitude puts you in harmony with what you want. In order to attract more of what you want into your life, you must be grateful for what you already have. Things are good and desirable because we value them; other things are considered worthless and undesirable because we do not appreciate them. Even the circumstances you judge to be bad and undesirable have value.  Challenge yourself to appreciate both the good and the bad that you encounter. This card is telling you that the power to create better conditions lies within your ability to appreciate your current conditions. The attitude of gratitude makes the current moment enjoyable--it also draws more good toward you. The Universe is reminding you that you can speed up the creative process by focusing more attention and energy on gratitude. Keep appreciating the good that already exists and watch how more good things flood into your life."

My message for you today is this:
Do you remember the author of 'The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude' published by Sarah Ban Breathnach in 1996?  Oprah Winfrey had this author on her show to discuss the powerful force of gratitude in our lives, and of course Sarah's book then became a phenomenon! "Focus on the good you have, not the lack of it,"  was Oprah's message about how embracing an attitude of gratitude can shift your life experience.  This very important Universal Law was brought to the forefront of our consciousness through Sarah's book, and Oprah's embracing and promoting it.  I personally integrated the impact that living by this Universal Law can have on your life. It has carried me through some extremely challenging times in my life that followed closely on the footsteps of my having made the conscious decision to live my life in gratitude. Such time as the sudden and devastating death of my beloved younger brother in an automobile accident in December 1997.  What is there possibly to find gratitude about in that, you may ask?  Even within the trauma of learning of his accident, arriving to the hospital, and his imminent passing; I found myself feeling so grateful for the blessing that there had been nothing left unexpressed between us...that I had very recently told him that I loved him during a phone conversation; that our family had recently made the 45 minute drive to where he lived to watch him coach his nephew's hockey game, and I'd told him on that day how proud I was of him as a coach; that he KNEW how important he was to me and to my husband and our kids, and that there was nothing left unsaid between us...that I had nothing to regret in that regard. Even in my intense grief, I knew that being at peace with that was a blessing, and I am so grateful...
I had purchased and written in Sarah Ban Breathnach's gratitude journal back in 1996, but I was inspired to write in my own gratitude journal, and I had my children write in their's each night at bedtime, also (they were 12, 10 and 8 at the time). I wanted to cultivate in them an attitude of gratitude. We each wrote 3 things we were grateful for that day. Some entries were about events in their day, such as: "I am grateful that I scored a goal in hockey today." or "I am grateful that I got to go to the restaurant between dance classes today. or "I am grateful that I got to go riding with Grandpa today and eat Saskatoon berries right off the tree!"  Other entries were along the lines of : "I am grateful that I'm not mad at ____anymore." or "I am grateful that I'm done with that stupid social studies report and presentation!"  I still love reading those journals, and seeing gratitude through the eyes of a child! 
A very dear friend gifted me a gorgeous wall plaque that stays "Stay in gratitude..." and she said that when she saw it, she thought of me because she knows that's how I strive to live my life.  She couldn't have given me any bigger compliment!  Does that mean that I am ALWAYS in gratitude? Absolutely not!  It means that I strive not to RESIDE in 'woe is me' or victimhood moments...that I consciously strive to acknowledge when I'm feeling that way, and after allowing myself to hold a little 'pity party', I truly do attempt to see the blessings/learnings/ lessons/growth being offered in the situation.  Consciously employing the Universal Law of Gratitude doesn't mean that you are never going to experience feeling disappointment, resentment, etc. or even that you are supposed to DENY those feelings. All emotions are gifted to us as guideposts in our lives to steer us toward our greater good. Disappointment and resentment can serve as motivators for making necessary changes in our lives, but REMAINING focused in those feelings only limits you to experiencing more disappointment and resentment.  Remember: the vibration of gratitude is a powerful manifesting agent in the universe!  We are vibrational beings.  Like attracts like...and when you are in the vibration of appreciation for the good in your life, you attract more of the same.  It's that simple, and that profound...
Blessed be...