Heart opening, gratitude and tenderness hold hands.

Oprah's The Life You Want cards, a prompt for my daily exploration in words.

If the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, that will be enough. – Meister Eckhart.

I was given Oprah’s The Life you Want Daily Inspirations for my birthday, and I love what they bring to the surface for me each time I draw one and place it on my desk for the day.

What beautiful timing. This morning is the first time in a while I did Dr. Joe’s meditation, Tuning into New Potentials. Tuning into the deep gratitude in my heart for this life that I live and also into the life I’m calling in and all the thank you prayers I already hold in my body for the present and the future.

I felt my heart fill with gratitude and my body tingle in anticipation.

Gratitude and heart-opening

Afterwards I watched my Mind Movie and had tears pouring down my cheeks. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The funny thing is when I really tap into my heart, and open her with feelings of gratitude, there is more of that and also tenderness for even those things that haven’t at first felt like a place for gratitude. Yet they surface with my heart opening, feeling safe to be seen.

They’re so connected…gratitude, heart opening and tenderness.

Giving space for the tenderness

There is still a picture of Tino and Millie (dog friends) in my Mind Movie (It really is time for an edit and update). When my ex and I separated (in 2020) Tino went with him. I always secretly hoped I’d see him again, but then he died young, towards the end of last year. The phrase across the slide in the movie is: Millie and Tino are happy and healthy.

The tears flowed from an open heart, and I welcomed them in. Another layer of grief to surface and heal.

I have come to know and understand that heart opening isn’t always butterflies and wild joy, sometimes it is opening to the tender places and allowing them the freedom to express through an open heart.

Heart opening sometimes feels like the full spectrum of a rainbow…letting it all be there in the open heart, and in doing so creating more space for love and gratitude in all its forms.

What is your heart opening to today?

Millie and Tino loving life in the daisies.