The Thanksgiving holiday is fast approaching. As such, this is traditionally a time for reflection and for the giving of thanks for all that we have in our lives. Unfortunately, our modern day interpretation has been muddled a bit. With all the football games blasting on the television sets, as well as the never ending sea of food that fills our stomachs until we can no longer button up our pants, it's no wonder we have lost site of what this holiday is really about. Surely, our gluttonous behavior would likely sadden the Pilgrims, not to mention the Native Americans, who taught us how to be thankful in the first place. That being said, I have had many opportunities in the last few years, to see first-hand, how both gratitude and abundance tie in with one another. It is this symbiotic relationship between the two that I would like to share today.

It all started while I was living abroad in France. For the first ten months I was there, I was having a difficult time. I was sick. I was broke. I didn't know how I was going to continue to take care of myself. Needless to say, I was not in much of a good mood. Thankfully, my outlook was about to change. It was when I had about thirty euros left to my name, when I decided to stop hoarding the little money that I had in order to take myself out to lunch. It was during this meal, where I decided to step into the state of gratitude.

I began to thank the silverware and the plate. Without these important accessories, my dining experience would have been quite messy. I then thanked the table, for it provided the resting spot for my plate and silverware. I next sent gratitude to my chair, because I had a comfortable place to sit. The food arrived and I thanked the food itself for nourishing me, the farmers for nurturing the plants, the truck drivers for bringing it to the restaurant, the chef who cooked it and the server who brought it to me. For the hour that I sat at that cafe, I continued to run through my mind every single thing I could think of that I appreciated—and it didn't end there.

I found that as I moved into a state of Grace and Gratitude my attitude began to shift in a monumental way. I didn't want it to end. After paying the bill, I decided to walk around the streets of Paris by sending my gratitude to everything that I perceived. I was thankful for the historical buildings, cobblestone pathways and unparalleled window displays that all sparked a sense of beauty within me. I thanked the rich palate of colors that had been invented by Nature—most especially the purples, greens and blues, which are my favorites.

I then moved inward to look at myself. I thanked my legs and my feet for they had the ability to take me around to see these wondrous sites. I thanked my lungs for they enabled me to breathe in the air that I needed to keep my body functioning properly. I thanked my mouth for it was able to smile. For three hours I plunged head-first into a continual state of gratitude. I couldn't help myself. I was having so much fun! It surprised me how even during my state of utter poverty, there was still so much to be genuinely grateful for.

During this active meditation, I was not only in a better mood, something else began to happen. A revelation was being born. For you see, I was astonished by the reactions I was receiving. While I never spoke a word aloud and certainly no one could have guessed what I was doing, yet as I affirmed my gratitude in my mind, I began attracting an abundance of people.

Prior to this day, I had been living in France for three months and had not gained the attention of any of the men—not even once. I was in my early forties and just chalked it up to the fact that I was getting older and perhaps my time was done in the grabbing men's attention department. However, as I expressed my gratitude to the Universe, men came out of the wood works. I mean, all over Paris, wherever I walked, they were either whistling, checking me out, or asking me out on a date. All-in-all (and without exaggeration) about thirty men paid some sort of attention to me. If that isn't abundance, I don't know what is.

What fascinated me was that I hadn't looked any differently than I had a few hours before. I hadn't gone to the gym to get in shape. I hadn't added any make-up. There wasn't any plastic surgery involved. I simply shifted my attitude, and therefore the energy I was exuding, and now for the first time in months I was getting noticed—even though I was still sick!

Furthermore, when I arrived home, a job offer to tutor English was waiting for me in my inbox. I not only was a receiving an abundance of attention from men, I was about to step into my financial abundance too. It may have not been much, but food was not going to be an issue for me anymore. In that moment, I could finally see the correlation between feeling gratitude and receiving abundance. They were both a part of one another.

***

It is now a few years later and things are changing for me again. I feel the shifting energy at every turn. I don't know exactly what that means nor do I know where I will be heading next. What I do know is that through this time of change, I am feeling gratitude for every single thing that I have in this moment and I feel gratitude for the surprises that are approaching. In the past, I would have been looking ahead to the future thinking that I needed to cross some imaginary finish line to reach some goal. All that did was make me miserable in the here and now. Today, I know that when I am grateful for my present the future will unfold with even more abundance—and so it has.

Abundance is now flowing to me at an unprecedented rate, not just through my job either. Yes, I am receiving my regular income, but money is showing up in so many other ways for me. I have opened my arms to my Abundance, all while being in a state of Gratitude and it is paying off both literally and figuratively. My friend always says that it is the Universe who provides our abundance, not our job. Sometimes, financial abundance comes through our employer and sometimes it comes from any number of ways the Universe chooses. If we allow it to come while we remain in a state of gratitude for what is already here, it will undoubtedly arrive from every conceivable direction.

Abundance is our natural state of Being. There was never meant to be just the wealthy one percent. Each and every one of us are the creators of our own Universe and as such when we tap into our abundance factor it will manifest into reality for us. The thing to remember is that the Universe always gives us what we ask for. When we say to our friends or when we think in our minds that we are poor, we are creating that very thing. When we tap into our gratitude while affirming that we are abundant, we then are indeed abundant. It is clear to me that as I continue expressing my Gratitude I am also recognizing my natural Spiritual state of Divine Abundance. In other words, as I acknowledge my gratitude for all that already has manifested in my life, more of the good stuff continues to show up for me—and for that I am grateful.

So, as we each meander through the upcoming holiday season, I offer the suggestion to all of us to remember to take time and really look deeply within at all the goodness that surrounds us at every turn. Even when we find that we are broke, sick or in a bad mood, if we look beyond those seemingly negative circumstances to recognize our gratitude for having the ability to feel, to see, and to simply be alive, we then understand that these are gifts within themselves.

Sending you all much Gratitude for reading my post and wishing us all the natural state of Abundance for this holiday season and beyond.

This blog entry comes from my monthly e-Newsletter. If you would like to receive an inspirational story in your inbox every month, please sign up at www.LisaTunney.com.

Thank you for reading and Namaste! (The Light in me recognizes the Light in you!)

Author's Bio: 

Lisa Tunney is a metaphysician with an accessible approach. She has been described as “Sex and the City meets the Dalai Lama”. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from U.C. Berkeley and a Master’s Degree in Metaphysics from the American Institute of Holistic Theology. Additionally, she teaches Shamanism, Reiki, Intuition Development, Meditation and is a Philosopher and author of the upcoming inspirational books, Blossoming Butterfly and The Seed Planter. She is also an organic food and green living advocate. Through the various avenues of teaching she pursues, she integrates laughter, intuition, storytelling, and most importantly, it is her goal to help guide others to listen to their own Inner Wisdom.