To Frank,
Because you believed,
With Gratitude
was conceived.
Marala
a note from the author
There may be moments when you question why good things don’t happen to you, but in fact they do. Good things happen throughout each and every day, but you may not have noticed them because you were focused on the negative or perhaps just distracted. Learning to reframe what you see, hear, and feed your mind will inspire you to appreciate the goodness that occurs all around us, creating a life-changing effect.
During our journey through life, we will have the most beautiful experiences. Some will be fleeting, others lasting, and some will be accompanied by challenges that cause a loss of comprehension, faith, or gratitude. These challenges can make it difficult to appreciate the incalculable good things you have or have had. I’m not referring to material things, but to matters of higher value. They are lessons, opportunities, kindness, respect, advice, and the love given to you, and yes, the sacrifices, hardships, and pain as well.
In the midst of challenges, your innate strength may be suppressed, but it is always there. You can foster this strength by cultivating gratitude. I’ve encountered many challenges I didn’t see coming, and others I did. What led me through all of them was learning to focus on and acknowledge gratitude for what is rather than giving attention to what isn’t.
It took time for me to become more appreciative and in tune with many of my experiences and lessons that called for gratitude. Instinctively, negativity has a way of drawing us in. Negativity easily becomes the focus. When I decided to be conscious about how I focused my attention, my outlook improved substantially. As I began living a life of gratitude, it became evident that the goodness life offers is infinite.
If you reflect on periods and moments throughout your life, you too will realize that some of the things you needed or wanted, you’ve received. There are things you didn’t ask for, yet were gifted. Consider friendships, relationships, career and life opportunities, and more. They may have eventually been lost, or existed only briefly, but you had them. They deserve gratitude.
With Gratitude is about the moments of thankfulness and appreciation for the good that happens, in some form, each day. These good things may escape you if you do not live consciously in the moment or let them pass without acknowledgment. It’s up to you to respond. When you make the choice to change the way you see and absorb your experiences, you will allow yourself to recognize the many beautiful gifts you receive each day. Once you pause and appreciate these gifts, you will realize that gratitude has the power to heal hearts, mend souls, and equip the mind to see the best of what is in front of you.
My intent is to inspire reflection on these moments and gifts, helping you live a life rooted in gratitude by revealing the benefits and beauty in both wonderful and difficult situations. Accept the opportunities to return kindness, evolve spiritually, and appreciate the magnificent things—big and small—that come your way.
With Gratitude,
Marala Scott
You excite me
and give me something to look forward to
each day.
I can’t wait to open my eyes and look at you.
You are beautiful.
Life Is My Muse
Wanting more
will bring you more
of what you don’t want too.
Simplicity can offer peace.
Uncomplicated
Take creative control.
Use the gift of freedom as desired.
Any direction you choose,
opportunity is waiting.
Create the experience you want.
The brush is in your hand.
A Painter’s Canvas
Vast for a reason,
meant to be explored.
Less-traveled roads
broaden understanding of others,
as well as yourself.
Remove judgment,
embrace acceptance,
and develop a willingness to collaborate,
cooperate,
and appreciate.
A World Other Than Your Own
I don’t have to pretend
my voice resonates with strength.
I won’t retreat.
My presence is needed.
I refuse to relinquish control,
I keep that for myself.
You Cannot Remove Who I Am
Deep in thought, pondering what to do.
Suddenly, I heard laughter escaping from the other room.
It made me smile.
Joyful Moments
It awakens me
knowing
I am filled with purpose.
My Passion
He fits
in your life.
No disruption
to the essence of you.
The way you are
caused his gravitational pull.
The Way He Loves You
Tell me whatever you want,
time will decide if it’s true.
It has a way of letting me see
the real version of you.
Withholding Judgment
Each month arrives,
dragging reminders of what was.
Seasons rotate,
offering the connection to renewed hope.
The years pass, providing proof
anything is possible.
An Encouraging Perspective
Two stars
burning brightly.
One bearing your name,
the other mine.
Next to each other
while light years apart.
A constant reminder.
Infinite Display of Love
Possibilities come from believing nothing is impossible.
I Can
You may hope for good things to happen,
but they happen every day.
It’s up to you to notice and acknowledge them.
They are the countless moments you are shown
indiscriminate kindness,
given an idea or solution from a stranger,
and gifted something you did not seek.
Until you pause to express appreciation for those moments,
you are depriving yourself.
Those Little Gifts
When I realized
you were trying
to become a bully,
my confidence evolved
from your fears
and the truth
of who you are not.
Reality
My bare toes gently touch yours.
No Need for Words
You thought you hurt me.
No, you taught me instead,
never go against the intuition
that travels from my core to my head.
Trusting It
There is a rhythm to life
and a rhythm to you.
Learn to understand it.
Inconceivable, what you can do.
Surrounded by it,
speaks to your soul.
Pay close attention.
Work passionately toward goals.
A Natural Part of You
You need help,
yet believe no one can see it.
They can.
You feel they don’t care.
They do,
more than you know.
They believe you can work through this better
alone.
It will make you stronger,
wiser,
and
more confident.
They know what you’re capable of,
even though you don’t.
They are determined to help you find
your path to your destiny.
And you will.
They Believe in You
People leave their mark in profound ways.
Reflection and appreciation can help you understand
why you achieved a goal,
brought a dream into existence,
or accomplished the impossible.
Contributors
Pride constructs walls
to keep you from being exposed.
It prohibits you from being true to yourself,
declines the help you need
unless the terms are yours.
It shuts love out,
maintains what it can control,
and lies to you often.
Let It Go
My words are an interpretation of what’s inside me.
I welcome the thoughts produced in my mind.
Inside Out
There is nothing more precious.
This Moment
I knew what was missing
when the time came
for me to construct a house.
I refused to build another
void of love.
Inside These Walls
Sometimes you must feel pain
to appreciate the value of peace.
Hate will try to converge on you
to display the need for love.
You will be invisible to some
to identify with the need for compassion.
Loving someone with a cold heart
will send chills through your soul,
making sure you crave the warmth.
One way to learn is to put you to the test.
Coming through isn’t the lesson.
It’s the way you fight when you’re not at your best.
Inside the Storm
Feeling sorry for me doesn’t help.
It is a contribution to remaining a victim.
My history,
along with
choices I’ve made,
created the person
I never imagined I could be.
Finally Finding Me
You have more value
than what is visible.
It is concealed,
as it is meant to be protected.
It can change your world
or simply defeat you.
The power is in
the way you use it.
Your Heart and Mind
I travel to beautiful places.
When night falls,
it’s not the same.
It doesn’t take long before
I miss you.
It’s hard to stay away.
The only place I want to be
when things don’t go my way.
The most comforting place to recover
for any reason, any day.
Some say they don’t have much,
but with a place to lay your head,
you have more than you know.
Already you’re ahead.
My Bed
Commanding and precise,
no room for conscious reason,
trust an unexplained feeling
that is crucial every time
in any season.
Intuition
She is beside me, shoulder to shoulder.
In sync, head held high.
She learned this by walking with me
when she was less than waist high.
I could have told her
but chose to show her
for those moments she would be without me.
Quiet Confidence
We didn’t have the same rules as the others.
Our parents made their standards clear.
They didn’t want to see us fit in.
They were fighting to make us stand out.
Unspoken Strategy
Take my hand and come with me.
I’m not sure if I can give you what you want,
but I can help you find what you need.
Teachable Moments
The things you wanted most,
give them to others.
The stories you hoped to tell,
create them with joy.
The pain you need to leave behind,
let it go.
The way you yearn to be loved,
love.
Breaking the Cycle
Your closest companion
keeps your secrets,
trusted never to tell a soul.
When you’re tired, lacking energy,
they take what they can get
without malicious intent or contrary goals.
Observing your moods, sensing your pain,
they bring you joy with nothing to gain.
Your Faithful Companion
The feeling of gratitude produces life to an empty or lonely soul.
It brings a smile to someone who gives and asks for nothing in return.
It allows you to be present, noticing the kindness that once escaped you.
To Give and Receive
Individual lessons,
hurtful truths.
They are meant to strengthen,
not weaken you.
Challenges Reveal the Truth About You
There are times when your solution is most important.
It was a part of your process to heal.
Extracting Your Strength
I asked for love
from someone I could trust,
that would respect and care for me,
who would laugh often
and show compassion instinctively.
I asked to share my happiness
with someone who loves You above all
and lives with unwavering faith.
I asked for a lot of things,
but perfect wasn’t one of them.
You gave me everything else.
An Answered Prayer
Things happen.
People evolve.
Relationships built on friendship
and undeniable love
will return
when the storm subsides.
Trust History
Love is irreplaceable.
Kindness comes without hesitation.
Compassion is triggered on sight.
When It’s Genuine
There were things I didn’t know.
Places I’d never seen.
Joys I hadn’t experienced.
Perfection had yet to kiss me.
I’d never imagined all there was
and all that we would be.
Lush green landscapes,
crashing waves and sand dollars
grazing the toes on our feet.
I thought I was better without you,
but you brought out the best in me.
My Love
People continue to love you,
regardless of what you do.
Be open to offering forgiveness
when the trial doesn’t belong to you.
Be Slow to Anger
You have the opportunity to revive
someone who is barely here,
los
t in a repetitive motion,
unsure of how to change,
void of reasons to try.
Their world has become
unbearable
until you give them
what you were gifted.
Hope
If a time comes
when you feel like letting go,
giving up,
or running away,
don’t.
It will only keep you from your destiny.
The Reward
You can find things to be angry about in any situation,
and you can see things to be appreciative of in them too.
Reframe the Picture
The words you hear often will be the words that shape
your thoughts, your speech, your world.
If they begin with negativity,
don’t trust them.
If they change your positive vibe,
don’t speak them.
If they make you doubt,
rid yourself of them.
Positive words will bring great thoughts
and successful actions.
Words That Shape
A little more love,
a little more laughter,
a little more compassion,
a little more time to say goodbye.
A Little More Makes a Big Difference
I wasn’t ready to talk to anyone.
Besides, I didn’t know how.
For some reason, you opened up to me.
Although you didn’t know it, you helped me.
Sharing your experiences gave me what I needed.
Your smile, courage, and confidence let me know I, too, would be okay.