Gratitude

“Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.” — Doris Day

Smart lady, that lovely Doris Day! Who knew?! She’s right – when I find myself complaining, it feels like I have less. The world gets smaller; my place in it becomes uncertain and I am spiritually poorer. When I practice our famous “attitude of gratitude,” I feel like my heart gets bigger, my world expands, and I am happy to be here. Life is rich.

I have a refrigerator magnet that says, “The more you complain, the longer God lets you live.” I like that! That’s the famous “God has a sense of humor” idea I sometimes hear about in AA. Another example is when they tell you “Whatever you do, don’t pray for patience!” because God will put things in your life to sorely test you! By the time God’s done with teaching you patience, you will truly comprehend it and wish you didn’t. Ha!

When I feel gratitude, I experience the nearness of my Creator. It’s no secret that I was an atheist when I came into AA. I had to act “as if” I believed, and that worked for me. Every night I struggled to find words to pray to a God I didn’t think existed. “Dear God, hello. I didn’t drink today. Anyway, thank you for another day of sobriety. And, uh, please help everyone. Amen.”

As I continued to pray, I gradually felt my hardened old heart begin to warm and realized I was feeling my Higher Power enter it. It felt great! When I was drinking, my world was small and cold and confusing: my soul was poverty-stricken. AA gives me a new, beautiful world. By working with others, cleaning house, making amends, and practicing a simple routine of prayer and meditation, life is richer…and yep! I’m grateful. My prayers might be a bit different nowadays, but the essence is the same: Thank You!
Lisa