The Fragrance of Gratefulness

My fellow blogger Meredith has written a beautiful entry on Gratitude at her blog, Graceful Presence, which includes a great quote from John Milton:

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.

Meredith's entry inspired me to look for teachings on gratitude/ gratefulness within the Sufi tradition. Here's a quote from The Art of Personality by Hazrat Inayat Khan, founder of the Sufi Healing Order:

Gratefulness in the character is like fragrance in the flower. A person, however learned and qualified in his life's work, in whom gratefulness is absent, is devoid of that beauty of character which makes personality fragrant. If we answer every little deed of kindness with appreciation, we develop in our nature the spirit of gratefulness; and by learning this we rise to that state where we begin to realize God's goodness towards us, and for this we can never be grateful enough to His divine compassion.

The great Sufi poet Sa'di teaches gratefulness as being the means of attracting that favor, forgiveness, and mercy of God upon ourselves in which is the salvation of our soul. There is much in life that we can be grateful for, in spite of all the difficulties and troubles of life. Sa'di says, 'The sun and moon and the rain and clouds, all are busy to prepare your food for you, and it is unfair indeed if you do not appreciate it in thanksgiving.'

Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927)