The Feeling That Stops Time
We all know gratitude. We say “thank you” for the promotion, the good health report, the successful trip. That’s conditional gratitude—a beautiful response to a pleasant event.
But have you ever felt something else? Something so vast and overwhelming it actually steals your breath?
I call it THAT Gratitude.
What do I mean? It’s the feeling of total, unreserved thankfulness for everything in your life. The joys, the loves, the successes… yes. But also the pain, the heartbreak, the trauma, the unexpected detours. Being grateful for all of it, right up until this very moment.
If you haven’t felt it yet, I hope you do. It’s an ocean of emotion that leaves you speechless.
Where You’ll Find It (Hint: It’s Not Where You Look)
Here is the secret about THAT Gratitude: it rarely shows up when you expect it.
It doesn’t wait for the confetti of a “big win.” It doesn’t need a formal announcement.
You’ll find it while you are simply being:
- Sitting on your back porch, listening to the crickets orchestrate a warm summer night.
- Watching your children kick a soccer ball, lost in their perfect present moment.
- Walking through the woods on an unusually warm autumn day, hearing the satisfying crunch of shed leaves beneath your feet.
You find it in the moments of being fully present in the now.
The Inner Work That Makes Peace Possible
To achieve that level of peace—where you can feel gratitude even for the hardest parts of your life—requires a deep, ongoing act of self-care.
This is the season for self-compassion.
- Be Kind to Your Past Self: Look back at the parts of your journey that hurt the most. Be kind to that younger, struggling self. Take a moment to hug yourself (mentally or physically) and whisper, “I love you. You are a wonderful and perfect child of God.”
- Embrace Play: That inner part of you needs attention! Find a way to get out and just play. Blow bubbles, go to a park, find a swing, or just tell silly jokes. Taking time out to play is a profound investment in your energy and spirit.
A deep sense of inner satisfaction is the reward for this practice. You can’t manifest abundance from a place of self-neglect; you must fill your own cup first.
When you are saturated in this unconditional self-kindness and the spontaneous peace of the present moment, your vision for the future becomes crystal clear and powerful.
You are free to see your dreams realized—your happy place, your new chapter, your abundant life. And when the vision is truly strong, it moves beyond individual desire. It becomes a feeling of pure union and interconnectedness.
It becomes:
Not ME but THEE, Not ME but WE.
This is the alignment. This is the truth. This is THAT Gratitude.
What simple moment of presence will you seek out today to invite THAT Gratitude into your heart?
Don’t wait for permission. Take five minutes right now.
Affirmation: I allow myself to rest, play, and feel the powerful gratitude for every step of my journey. I trust the surrender.