“Gratitude is a distiller of emotions. When you give thanks, you are purifying your emotional response to life by focusing on love and leaving fear, doubt, worry, shame and blame behind.”

– Diane Harmony, “Science of Mind Magazine,” April 27, 2022

I’ve never heard it put this way, but I would agree: Gratitude is a distiller of emotions. When I am in a grateful state of mind, I find myself in the present moment, and hence am not focused on fear, doubt, or really anything else. It’s like time stands still and I am just right here.

And even when I’m writing my evening gratitude list about things from the past events of the day, I am brought back to the present moment as I think about the person, situation, etc. that has made me feel grateful.

Gratitude stirs my heart, opens it up further to Spirit and love. Years ago, as a devout atheist, “gratitude” was another word not in my vocabulary nor something I experienced. Today, I find much peace and solace in gratitude, another avenue to Spirit.