Prayer of Gratitude

It is 4 a.m. I am wide awake. In 2 days 2009 will be 2010. I woke up the thought that stayed with me all night. A thought that sprung from the book I was reading. This book has been with me for many years. I forget when, but I do remember picking it up from a roadside book vendor one hot afternoon in Mumbai. It moved with me from house to house and cross country and back. I had always intended to read it. Now its time has come. I am ready to listen and understand what it has to say.

Among many wise thoughts that it has share, here is the one that I went to bed with-
'You will not have that for which you ask, nor can you have anything you want. This is because your very request is a statement of lack, and your saying you want a thing only works to produce that precise experience- wanting. The correct prayer is therefore never a prayer of supplication, but a prayer of gratitude. When you thank God or Universe in advance for that which you choose to experience in your reality, you in effect acknowledge that it is already there- in effect. Thankfulness is thus the most powerful statement to God/Universe; an affirmation that even before you ask, it has been answered'

These are very deep statements - gahan (in hindi). Sometime in 2008, I came across this thought and at some level I started practicing this thought. The change in my overall well-being since then has been documented in my writings. I have never been able to articulate these thoughts as beautifuly as it has been done in the book 'Conversations with God'.

This year has been a year of affirmation that I am blessed. I have so much more then I could ever ask for, I would not even know what to ask for. As this year ends here is my prayer of gratitude to that force (God, Universe, Nature- whatever you want to call it). I am grateful for the clarity that I have gained to enjoy every experience life has offered and continues to offer. I am grateful for love, for spacious surroundings, for limitless abundance, for overall well-being, for wonderful experiences, for limitless living, a constant awe and amazement at life and your constant presence in my life. Thank you.