by Rev. Dr. Rainbow Johnson
O. give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
— Psalms 107:1
“Gratitude is one of the chief graces of human existence...”
— The Science of Mind, page 497
A Thank-You Note
In the course of my travels, I present many varieties of workshops. One evening, I asked the participants of one of my workshops to write a thank-you note to a painful experience of their lives, thanking it for the learning and growth and transformation it provided them. I noticed a young man writing feverishly. He folded his paper up into a small square, threw it on my lap and said, “Read it at home,” and left. That night I read:
Dear Heroin Addiction:
I thank you for the great painkiller you were. You came into my life at a time that I was unable to deal with my emotional pain. You worked very well for a long time. I loved you.
One day, you stopped working — I tried to use you all the more but you nearly killed me. You were showing me very clearly that it was time for a change. I had to find a way to deal with my emotional pain without you. I was scared to be alone. I had to find a Power greater than you.
It was a long hard climb out of my addiction to you, but I have made it. Today my Greater Power is a loving God who always takes care of me, as He always had.
Thank you, heroin. I don’t hate or fear you any longer. Goodbye.
Today I say, “Thank you painful experience for what you have taught me, for strengthening me and for initiating me into a deeper relationship with my Godself.
I release you and let you go. Goodbye.”
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