Here is something I wrote for my newsletter recently. I hope you enjoy:

Gratitude, for me, has been one of the most difficult things to *truly* feel and experience. For most of my life, I didn't really think about it, but in recent years I've noticed that it's not just that I never thought of it before, but that I actually had a strong inner resistance to really letting go into gratitude - even for the things that I know are blessings in my life!

Over time, I've realized that the reason for this resistance is that there is no room for the ego in true gratitude - there is nothing that one can claim for him- or herself, because if you claim any credit for it, then you are just bragging. What's more, feeling a deep sense of gratitude is very humbling, intimate, and leaves you feeling vulnerable. It's an acknowledgment of the power of Grace, which strips you of any illusion that you are in control or that you (as ego) are the source of your own blessings.

And yet, the more you let go into the truth of those feelings of gratitude, the more your blessings increase! If you resist the gratitude, then you are also inherently resisting the blessing it's connected to, and so there will be little room for more blessings to come to you. If you are grateful for what you receive, however, then you are not only closing the cycle on a previous blessing, but you are also opening the door to a new one. So let gratitude swell within your heart, for even the smallest blessings in your life, and see what new blessings start to come your way!