Gratitude is simply awareness. When you look at the sky and you note that it is blue, you say: "Sky is blue." There is nothing remarkable or extraordinary in saying that. You saw the sky, and you saw it was blue. And so it is with gratitude.

A gift has been given you. Many gifts have been given you. Notice them, and naturally you feel grateful. That welling up of love in your heart has been given the name Gratitude. It is only a full heart that can truthfully express the fullness it feels. Gratitude has to be felt before it can be expressed. There has to be awareness. So, it is not so much to be grateful, as it is to be aware.

Gratitude is being glad. You can only be glad for what you are aware of. You can also only be disgruntled for that which you are aware of as well. Set the sights of your awareness high. Enough of looking at the ground with a microscope. Better to look at the stars and feel their gratitude for you. Your heart is like a stethoscope that listens to the beat of the stars. It thanks your lucky stars.

Gratitude is acknowledgement for what has always been. You may just be discovering what you are grateful for, yet what you are grateful for did not just come into existence. Something may just have dawned on you, but it was there before you noticed.

It is all right to take everything for granted. Everything has been granted you. The child takes it for granted that he will be fed. Taking for granted is a representation of faith. Yet one can take the universe for granted and still be grateful. My children, be grateful for everything. Tip your hat to the universe.

Be grateful for faith, for indeed you have been blessed with it. It is a natural thing to have faith in the goodness of the universe. It is unnatural — yet common — to lack faith. You can restore it with your thanks for it. Faith wants to be restored. Gratitude wants to be felt. The joy you seek has been seeking you.

I would have you confide in Me. Take Me along with you. I will be your greatest Consultant. I have your interests at heart. I have no agenda of My own but love. I have no other objective. Love will take care of everything. There is no peace without love. There is no art without love, no music, no dance. All this love in the world is the love of God. You think of the love of God as meaning your love for Me, but the truth of it is that I love you. You are the one God loves. You are the love of My life. You are the green pastures I restore you to. You are the mercy and goodness that follow you and cannot depart from you. You are all inclusive.

And so you are also grateful. You don't have to be serious about it. It is not a serious thing. It is a natural thing to give thanks. Give thanks to the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and give thanks for the eyes that see them and the Oneness behind the eyes. Give thanks for your own seeking. Give thanks for your finding. Give thanks for your not finding. Give thanks then for the joy that is yet to come.

Give thanks for the ability to give thanks. It is a wonderful thing. It doesn't have to be in words.