Resentment and gratitude cannot coexist, since resentment blocks the perception and experience of life as a gift. My resentment tells me that I don’t receive what I deserve. It always manifests itself in envy. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy. Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment. I can choose to be grateful when I am criticized, even when my heart still responds in bitterness. There is always the choice between resentment and gratitude.
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming
Nice to be reminded how fortunate we are just to be here.
Thank you, Judith! It is far too easy to forget with all the anxiety out there. Have a terrific week!