The Gift of Gratitude
By Kamali Sampathkumar
As a parent I feel gratitude is important in raising our children in ECK. It is very easy to grow up and not acknowledge all that we have. The mentality that there is not enough, and we want more, is always around us. It is important to be grateful for what we have. One of the biggest things I can share with my children is to always be grateful for the presence of the MAHANTA and to be grateful for every little gift they receive.
There was a time when my family had to move from our home in Canada to India. It was quite a difficult three and a half years. One night my little one was tired of living in India. She came to me and asked if we could go home to Canada. I told her it was out of my hands; we didn’t have the means at that point. I offered her a spiritual exercise on gratitude and shared with her that when I feel completely drained, I focus on love and gratitude for the presence of the MAHANTA. Some days this gratitude is the only gift that is able to keep me going.
“Let’s thank the MAHANTA for the experience we are having here in India,” I said. “Let’s all do it together and see what happens and see where the MAHANTA takes us.” My two daughters and I started doing this every day.
Although my youngest daughter was really not happy living in India, she continued doing the exercise every day. A month and a half later we were able to move back to Canada. We were all so happy for this gift that came from being grateful for the experience the ECK was giving us in the present moment.
Once we were back in Canada, we were living in a very small apartment for almost a year. It was another opportunity for my youngest to find gratitude. She was, again, not happy about our living situation. She wanted a house. She was not comfortable and was sometimes angry about the way we were living.
I reminded her of our gratitude exercise and suggested she find gratitude for the experiences she was having in the apartment, just like we did when we lived in India. I suggested that maybe these experiences would be helpful to her in the long run. We then started thanking the MAHANTA for the experiences we were having in our apartment.
Two months later we moved to a new place that she was really happy in. She was calmer and able to do her schoolwork. Again, gratitude brought her the change she longed for.
Gratitude has become a big thing in our family. It can shift our attitude and our experiences. It reminds me and my children that not everything is a problem.
I find I am best able to teach my children gratitude through my own actions. I am always expressing my gratitude for the MAHANTA’s presence in every situation. My girls see me do this and they pick up some of it. It is not just me talking about gratitude or teaching them about it. They see that this is who I am.
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Print the Gallery of Gratitude activity sheet to help your child embark on the adventure of finding thanks in many areas of their life!
Once, I took seriously ill just six months after we lost our 8 month old son. I couldn’t understand the condition of my ill health! I was devastated, depressed and highly anxious to move out of the condition that got me bed ridden and with very few options. I asked, why now? Why did I take ill after the very unpleasant experience with our late son? The more I think of all the problems we were facing, the more I became angry with everything, myself included! As a member of ECKANKAR, I knew the MAHANTA said “I am always with you”, but I started doubting myself some days! I became scared. I was doing my spiritual exercises but I didn’t know my heart was closed because of strong emotions at that time.
One day, I had a dream. The ECK Master Fubbi Quantz visited me. We got talking and he was cleaning the house lightly and happily. I stood by him and before I woke up, he said to me: Always be grateful! When I woke up I said to myself, I met Fubbi Quantz and he said I should be grateful! I didn’t realize the importance of his message immediately, but when I caught it, I said, yeah…I need to be grateful for everything in my life! I started practicing gratitude everyday. Either I’ll write what I’m grateful for, or I’ll say “Thank you MAHANTA” aloud and mean it! I am happier and more balanced. I thank the ECK Master Fubbi Quantz for his visit and teachings. I thank the MAHANTA for the opportunity to know myself and to surrender totally. I thank all the ECK Masters for their love and teachings. I am glad and grateful to be here.
That is an awesome way to bring up your kids and this story proves what having an attitude of gratitude can achieve. Lots of kids these days feel they are privileged and take a lot for granted. Therefore it’s a great habit to teach them to be grateful firstly for the small things and that the bigger things will come if it’s the Mahanta’s will.
This is true and beautiful! At over 70 yrs old, I am still reaping the benefits of using a similar approach to teach my children about gratefulness. As a parent I have learned, myself. Now, that they are older, it’s gratifying to hear them tell me personal stories gratitude has brought them.