when we put a small piece of alum into muddy water, we can see the alum can soon make the water clear. if each of us has an attitude of being grateful, we'll be able to get rid of impulse, upset, dissatisfaction and misfortune. being grateful can bring us a better and more beautiful life.

how can gratitude help us in our everyday lives as moms? think about the difference you can make in your family' s life just by noticing and being thankful for all the great things they do. when you express gratitude, you show your love and appreciation. everyone needs to feel these things every day.

sometimes as moms we feel that no one appreciates us--and it is true that moms are usually last on the list to be thanked. one way you can teach gratitude is by example. even on the days when it seems your children or husband are doing everything wrong, find a reason to thank them. take the time and energy to look for the good.

think about the things that your family does that deserve a "thank you." you might say to your husband, "thank you for working so hard for our family," or, to your child, "i really appreciate your sense of humor--it feels good to laugh." expressing your gratitude helps family members to understand how it feels to be appreciated. and if they still don' t catch on, let them know when you feel unappreciated. you can also tell them how great it makes you feel when they do express gratitude.

sometimes we get so busy and caught up in daily life that we forget to be grateful. we expect everyone to do their share without being asked. the only time anyone hears anything is when a chore has not been completed. this attitude, over the long haul, will develop very resentful and uncooperative family members.

when life is good, gratitude is easy. it becomes more challenging to be grateful when we are experiencing hard times. financial hardship, long-term illness, the death of a loved one and marital strife can all be trying and difficult. it is hard to find anything to be grateful for. but while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. we have a choice in how we view our circumstances. we can be thankful for the lessons we learn and the opportunities for personal growth and transformation. look at all the people in this world who share the gifts they received during especially difficult times of their life.

look at everyone with grateful eyes. listen to your heart and the heart of your loved ones. speak words of affirmation every day of your life. be grateful for your life with all its lessons and blessings. the more grateful thoughts and feelings you experience and express the more instrumental you will be in healing the world. and your outlook on life will improve in the process.

 

把一小塊明礬放入混沌的水中，我們發現，水很快就澄清了。如果人人都有一顆感恩的心，就能沉淀許多的浮躁和不安，消融許多的不滿和不幸。感恩能讓我們的生活變得更加美好。

作為母親，感恩在日常生活中又能如何幫助我們呢？通過注意和感謝家人所做的一切偉大的事情，想想你能為家庭生活帶來什么變化。當你表示感恩的時候，就展現出了你的愛心和感激。每個人每天都需要這些感受。

作為母親，有時候會感到沒有人感激我們——事實上也是如此，母親總是最后一個被感謝的人。你傳授感恩的一個方法就是自己樹立榜樣。即便有一天你的孩子和丈夫把所有的事情都搞錯了，你也要找個理由感謝他們，花些時間和精力，尋找好的地方。

想想你的家人所做的事情，哪些值得你說一句“謝謝”。你可以對丈夫說一句：“謝謝你為我們的家努力工作，”或者對孩子說：“我非常欣賞你的幽默感——笑笑真好。”表達你的感激會幫助你的家人理解收到感激的心情。如果他們還是無法領悟，那就在你需要感激的時候告訴他們。你也可以告訴他們，當他們向你表達感激時你的感受。

有時，我們過于繁忙，忙于蕪雜的生活瑣事，連感激都忘記了。我們期望每個人都能夠自覺地盡職盡責，在這個時間每個人所能聽到的就是做完活。這種態度，日積月累，在家人之間就會發展為抱怨和不和。