A couple was going through financially tumultuous time and it was their 25th wedding anniversary. They lived in a small tenement and had barely enough money to consume two meals a day.
Husband was not able to purchase any new clothes, jewelry or any other expensive gifts for his loving wife due to their financial condition. As he loved his wife dearly, he thought of an alternative. He took a clean white piece of paper and wrote a small letter to his wife.
He wrote “My dear love, for the last 25 years you have dedicated your time to me and looked after all of my needs. I am grateful for all that you have done for me. Rain or shine, you have been there for me. I am unable to purchase any precious gift for you to honor our loving 25 years journey. However, I love you with all my heart and would like to express my feelings of heartfelt gratitude through this letter. Please accept it as a token of my love.”
He got this letter framed and with feelings of love and gratitude, he presented it to his wife on the day of their silver anniversary. On receiving such an exclusive gift and reading the letter, she could not hold back her tears. She hugged him tight and said, “My dear, this is the most valuable gift. These feelings are priceless. These few words have won my heart forever.”
Despite their financial hardships, this couple was full of gratitude for one another. They not only celebrated their anniversary but became more bonded and devoted to each other. There is no doubt that true love cannot be bought, It is an outcome of positive thoughts and also recognizing and appreciating efforts (big or small ) that your loved one makes for you. Gratitude is the world’s supreme gift.
Who amongst us does not want to see our lives successful and enriched with love and happiness? This can be achieved through good thoughts and positive vibes only. Positive and good thoughts are generated by higher feelings inside our heart. They do help our spiritual growth and without it, a balanced growth of our personality and character is very difficult.
In human relations, if our thoughts, speech, and behavior are based on higher feelings it not only is a sign of spiritual growth but also adds sweetness, understanding, and love in our relationships.
The feeling of gratitude is one of these higher feelings. We saw its reflection in the above story of the couple where in spite of their monetary limitations, they celebrated their silver anniversary with a feeling of gratitude and presented a heavenly picture of the relationship. This beautiful world is worthless if not for the virtue of gratitude. Let us understand the importance of this virtue and nurture our soul through the same.
By reading this book, I wish our hearts and minds are awoken to think and gain the power of higher feelings and emotions such as Gratitude. This will pave a beautiful pathway by nourishing and strengthening our life force, to meet its supreme goal. Clearly, without gratefulness, our world would be similar to a cemetery.
