All I can say is thank you

All I can say

is thank you

Luiz Alberto Silveira

Happy people remember the past with gratitude,

rejoice in the present and face the future without fear.

(Epicurus)

We need to be filled with gratitude for everything, all that surrounds us, what happens to us, what we experience, what we feel for one another and for those with whom we share moments of joy and pain, health and illness.

As difficult as it may be, no matter how painful or desperate we are to succumb, lose confidence and give up, every experience is an instrument for learning, spiritual refinement, and individual and collective growth.

We can evolve through reflection, identifying the best way to be and act, seeking happiness in work, patience, tolerance and love; or through suffering, when we hide within ourselves in our vanities, in unresolved matters, in repressed pain, in the forgiveness denied, in the absent expression of love, in the charity forgotten, in the fight for the good not carried out.

We have this choice to evolve through pain or love.

Through pain we evolve gradually, by way of the stumbling blocks that lead us forward, being pushed by the hourglass of time.

Through love we evolve in a way that is light, elevated, elegant and exciting, perceiving the beauty of life with the colors of existence, the scents that soften experiences, with confidence in the day to come, with the certainty of transformation, we will go to a different place, to live new circumstances in the eager pursuit of peace and happiness.

While I write this text, I am reminded of the death of Jesus, the Nazarene, who, by means of His martyrdom and pain, showed that there is remorse in the lack of love and that pain in its diversity can also elicit salvation and hope for a broader world. He revealed that gratefulness, forgiveness, charity and brotherhood can neutralize suffering, thus preparing us to follow His steps all the way to the gardens of heaven.

We must be thankful for everything that represents an opportunity for us to be and make someone happy.

An expressive thank you from the heart that causes emotional wellbeing.

Thank you to the ones who care about us and know the feeling is mutual.

Thank you to those who are by our side (even at a distance) in the difficult hours of weeping in the face of fear, and for being a support, a safe harbor, a reason for joy and hope within our dreams.

Thank you to the ones who know we exist.

Thank you to the ones who care about us and are the reason for the enchantment of their presence and joy in living.

Thank you for the right words at the moments of distress and emotional crisis.

Thank you to the ones in the photo we revisit, for believing when all hope was lost.

Thank you for the timely hug at the moment of need, for showing the way when we could not see, for not taking frivolities and

makeachoicetobehappy.

futilities into account, for accepting that we might make mistakes and for seeing that we may not even seem to like ourselves at certain times.

Thank you for making it possible to say ‘I am really thankful’.

Gratitude, despite our consciousness of life’s grievances, makes us optimistic, attracts so many good feelings and allows us to go through existence with brilliance and joy.

All I can say is thank you.