So many of our fellow beings on this planet do not have what we take granted. In fact, 80% of the planet lives on less than 400 dollars a month, and 60% of our brothers and sisters live on less than 60 dollars a month. It has been stated that only 8% of the people on the planet have bank accounts. Many millions do not have running clean water, something we take for granted. Millions do not have education or freedom of movement or speech.

According to statistics circulating on the internet (which I cannot prove or disprove, but seem likely to be true), if you are reading this you can probably count yourself among the blessed and lucky on this planet.

Here are some of those numbers that should make us realize how blessed we are:

80% of our brothers and sisters on this planet live in poor living conditions
70% are illiterate
50% are uneducated 
1% have computers
1% have higher education

If you have a reasonably healthy body, you are in a better position than the one million persons who are ill and will leave their bodies in the next seven days.

If you are not living in war or in prison or in hunger, then you are much luckier than the 500,000,000 who are living in such conditions.

If you have food, clothing, a home and a bed, then you are in a better position than 75% of the souls incarnated on this planet.

If you have a bank account and money in your pocket, then you are among the lucky top 8% of humanity.

So much of what we have taken for granted, simply is not so for most of the humans on this planet. There are so many souls living without much of what we could not imagine being without.

Gratitude is the acknowledgment of the love that we are receiving from the Universe in the form of loved ones, belongings, comforts and abundance of all forms.

Gratitude increases with spiritual development. As we grow in consciousness, we naturally feel grateful for the small things such as a breeze on a warm day, clean water to drink, good friends. As we evolve and learn to trust more deeply in the wisdom of the unfolding events in our lives as opportunities in our spiritual growth process, then we even begin to feel grateful for initially difficult or unpleasant events or situations. We are grateful towards persons who might test our love, forgiveness, self-acceptance or understanding, for they are giving us invaluable opportunities to let go of our fears and ego and remember our true spiritual nature and, of course, their spiritual nature.

Think about it: around five billion fellow souls are not yet manifesting the economic security that you have. One billion people are not yet creating access to clean running water. Six hundred million are not yet able to create proper shelter for their children. Ninety percent are not yet creating the ability to have a computer. You are already a powerful creator, manifesting a long list of people, things, services and comforts you can feel grateful for.

It is important to acknowledge your family members (and if you cannot, then analyze why not), home, work, body, senses, freedoms, knowledge, abilities, techniques, values, nature, shelter, food, services, appliances, computers, this book, the ability to read it, and anything else you can think of.

We would also benefit from feeling grateful for difficulties that we have passed through, or are passing through, that can make us more thoughtful, more spiritual, more sensitive or better person.

We can learn to feel grateful for physical and economic problems that test our inner sense of security and self-worth. We do not in any way seek such experiences, but, when they appear, we use them gratefully.

Gratitude is directly related to love and happiness; we experience love when we feel grateful and are grateful when we feel love. The same is true for happiness. We are happier freer beings when we acknowledge how lucky and blessed we are.
Happy Thanksgiving dear friends……..love and light