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The Miracle of Gratitude
Submitted by: Misty W.
Chino, CAI am a mother, wife, and daughter above all, but work two days per week in a local family owned restaurant.
First, many thanks for both the movie and the book, The Secret! The philosophies within were life-changing for me. They made everything make SENSE for the first time in my life! I was particularly inspired by the story of the gentleman who kept a rock in his pocket to remind him to take time to be grateful, hence creating a positive mindset.
I woke one morning with an idea that has created a wonderful phenomenon in my life. I decided to amass a collection of rocks myself, only here is how my story unfolded…
I have a creative side and find a great sense of tranquility when I am painting, so I decided to paint mini portraits inspired by things for which I am grateful on each of the rocks. I keep them in a hurricane lamp on my kitchen table along with a stack of cards that explain why they are painted. The reader is invited to choose a stone to keep for their own and is encouraged to keep it where they will look at it or touch it frequently, and each time they do to take time to be grateful for something in their own life. Lastly, should they feel the rock has any monetary value at all they are asked to donate that amount to the charity of their choice – anyone they see who might be in need.
The wild part is that my kids started having their friends chose a stone here and there, and some requested specific things to be painted, and I have always replied, “Well, I can try!” I have no training in art but I believe if my heart is behind it a portrait will emerge. Gradually things have taken a turn that I really can’t explain.
It started with me painting things and the connection being revealed after the fact. For instance, I painted a beautiful cherry blossom garden and it was in my collection for less than a day when my son’s girlfriend saw it and asked if she could have it to send to her sister who had just suffered a split from a long time boyfriend. Apparently there was a painting of a cherry blossom that she had wanted and the boyfriend had sold it. She was brokenhearted and had called her sister crying saying that the cherry blossom painting was the one thing she had wanted when they split! Of course I was fascinated and overjoyed to have painted something that would help ease her pain and happily sent the stone to its new home.
Next, I went to lunch with a friend and was telling her about my painted stones and showed her mine – I carry it with me always. She asked me if I would paint her a guardian angel. And of course I said, “I can try.”.She went on to tell me about some difficult losses in her family. Several people have died early unexpected deaths. The most recent one she mentioned was a niece who was killed in a car accident. The following day I began painting and knew exactly what I had in my mind. It wasn’t a typical guardian angel but was what I was driven to paint. I couldn’t wait to give her her stone! The next time I saw her I handed it over, unsure if she would like my more contemporary version of an angel, and when she looked at it her face went sober and her eyes filled with tears, and what came next shocked me down to my shoes! She said, “My God, you painted my niece Katie!” I had never seen her but for a quick flash of wallet pictures one time, and the photo I saw was not remotely close to the one I painted, but it WAS uncannily close to a painting my friend has on the wall in her home. By the way, I have never been to her house!
Next I noticed a girl I work with having a very difficult time. Her Mom was very ill and as I found out has been most of her life, so my co-worker has been the caretaker for the most part. I tried to share with her the importance of a positive mindset, but she struggled with constant pessimism. Her mother’s illness became very serious and I became unbelievably driven to paint a stone for her. What came to mind was a wolf and her pup. And when I say driven I mean it just has to be painted. I was so intrigued by the angel painting that I looked up the symbol of the wolf in the Indian culture just to see what it meant, and there it was – a strong spiritual being who brings good health to the ones who are weak or ailing! It made sense once I read that. So again I painted… I was so excited to give her her stone and tell her the story about how I was soooo driven and how the first research link I looked at explained it all! The crazy part was that after I gave it to her she said, “Misty, I am Indian! You have no idea how highly my family and I regard the Indian culture!” Then she asked me to paint one of her son to give to her mother. I did, and her mother was so very grateful!
Most recently I painted a beautiful butterfly and afterward, just before I clear-coated it to be added to my hurricane lamp, a friend came by to visit and saw it and said, ” Oh my gosh! I was going to ask you to paint me a butterfly. I have a co-worker who has such difficult days at times and her favorite things in the world are butterflies!!! I just knew one of your stones would make her feel better!”
Each time someone takes or is given a stone the warmth and hugs and smiles spread across the room! I actually get to watch it happen! So many people have taken time to let me know that they keep their stones with them always!
So I am blessed with a feeling of gratitude while I am painting, gratitude when the stone is passed on, and with the uncanny gift that seems to have manifested in my ability to paint one and then wait to see the connection to its new owner be revealed! I never would have imagined a twist like this in what started out to be a simple reminder to be grateful! Can’t explain it but am so filled with joy each time I send one on its way. I might add that people have offered to pay me almost every time I pass one out, but as I said in the beginning of my story, the object is to pay it forward!!!
A not-so-crazy by-product, I assume, of this perpetual state of joy/gratitude, is my two shifts a week at work, which were the worst two shifts when I hired in but are now suddenly busier than they have ever been!
A quick P.S: I gave The Secret to my manager to read and afterward she said, “That’s it! I figured out what happened to your shifts – you are using The Secret!!!” You gotta love it!!!
Thanks to The Secret I wake every day to a life that feels like a big warm hug!!!!