Many of us may apply gratitude as a beautiful practice to enhance our feeling of happiness. And so have I… I just did not have a clue that it would also enlarge the lens through which I interpret life.
I became enlightened a few years ago when I thanked my aunt for an unforgettable gift that she gave me about 22 years before. On this special day I not only felt a pressing urge to share with her my gratitude, but also a story attached to the gift. You have no idea what this gift truly meant to me! This is how it all started…
When I was 8 years old my father unexpectedly passed away due to an aneurism. It came as a complete surprise as he was athletic and only 35 years old. One thing that bothered me for years after that, was that we never got a chance to say good bye. It was also a time when I didn’t want to show my peers that things were tough in our family. Like other children of my age then, I too was longing for one of those real life baby looking dolls. Due to the family circumstances I couldn’t get it. Until one night, when I dreamt that I received the doll as a gift. Next morning, I woke up very excited and I couldn’t wait to tell my mum all about it. I described the doll in particular details.
That same afternoon, we also went to visit my aunty (my dad’s sister). When we arrived, she opened the doors of her apartment and as soon as she saw me, she excitedly sent me to the next room. “There is a gift for you” she said. Guess what I found in the box as I ran to the next room and opened it?” Yes, there it was! The exact doll I dreamt about. Which became the first piece of the puzzle of my gratitude story.
For all these years I thought that my aunty was the only one who made me extremely grateful for the gift. Until the time we were sitting opposite each other having the gratitude conversation. While my aunty was listening to me, she decided to share her own piece of the puzzle to the story.
We traced back that the same night I dreamt about the doll, she dreamt about my dad. He had asked her to meet him in a park close to her house. This used to be, by the way, their favorite spot for walks, while he was still alive. The very next day, out of her own curiosity she walked to the park, as if hoping she may truly meet him again. Nothing happened so she started walking back towards her home. When, suddenly she felt something underneath her shoe. Which apparently, she had not noticed before. It was a roll of paper money. She looked around to see if someone had lost it, but there was no one there. She picked it up and used it to buy presents for her nieces. I happened to be one of them. When we pieced our puzzles together…..we realized that there was someone else to thank for the gift and perhaps even finally say good bye.
Today, I’m sitting in my office with a big smile on my face. As surreal as it seems- gratitude, matters in life, and two independent pieces of the puzzle, provided evidence that I received a physical gift from the spiritual plane…..
Written by: Katarina Gaborova