I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.
~ Brené Brown

Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
~ Albert Schweitzer

Ground:   Gratitude
Light:       Gratitude      

I am grateful that I have the interest, energy, and creativity to write these weekly emails. Yes, I am grateful indeed! As I prepare each email I sit in gratitude and thank you for connecting with me in this way. While we may not have seen each other in years or whether we saw each other yesterday, we are in a process together that is a blessed and powerful healing meditation.

While this email coincides with the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, being in a state of gratitude is of benefit every day of the year. The following is a shortened version of Seven Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude That Will Motivate You To Give Thanks Year-Round, Forbes Magazine, November 23, 2014.

Gratitude…

1. Opens doors to relationships
A study published in Emotion found that thanking people makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship.

2. Improves physical health
A study in Personality and Individual Differences found that grateful people take better care of their health.

3. Improves psychological health
Robert Emmons’ studies on gratitude confirm that gratitude increases happiness and reduces depression.

4. Enhances empathy and reduces aggression
A study by the University of Kentucky found that people who ranked higher on gratitude scales experienced more empathy toward others and a decreased desire to seek revenge.

5. Leads to better quality sleep
A study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being says that jotting down a few things you are grateful for before bed will likely lead to sleeping better and longer.

6. Improves self-esteem
A study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology found that gratitude increased athletes’ self-esteem and confidence. Other studies have shown that gratitude reduces social comparisons because grateful people tend to appreciate rather than resent other people’s accomplishments.

7. Increases mental strength and resilience
A study in the journal Behavior Research and Therapy found that Vietnam vets with high levels of gratitude were more resilient and less impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder.

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About the Stones

Celestial Rays (Sun) are 55 – 65” radiant lariats. Each of the 12 + 1 rays is uniquely designed to support us as waves of energy. They remind us that we are made of the same stuff as the stars! Like the sun and other stars, we have the capacity to generate, express, and radiate light! Each lariat has a different frequency of light energy and all of the frequencies are virtues composed of goodness and high vibrations.

This Celestial Ray is named Abundance and Gratitude. The stones are agate, carnelian, garnet, goldstone, jasper, pearl, red aventurine, rutilated quartz, and turquoise. It emerged in 2004.