“The root of joy is gratefulness...It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful” (Brother David Steindl-Rast)

Have you ever heard of practicing gratitude? St Ignatius of Loyola says that every night before going to bed, we should reflect on our day, identifying things that happened to us for which we are grateful to God. When we practice gratitude on a regular basis, a spirit of joy begins to become evident in our lives. Someone has said “we can complain that roses bushes have thorns or rejoice that thorn bushes have roses”. The former keeps us in a state of negativity, while the latter lifts us up. What do you prefer? Start practicing gratitude and see what happens.