As Thanksgiving approaches, a time dedicated to reflection and gratitude, I’m eager to share a poignant poem that will undoubtedly touch your heart. Penned by Amélia Rodrigues, one of Brazil’s most renowned and influential poets, this beautiful piece titled Gratidão (Gratitude in English) expresses profound thankfulness for life’s simple yet powerful blessings.
Born on June 30, 1862, in Bahia, Brazil, Rodrigues wrote beautiful poems that portrayed Brazilian culture and addressed important social issues. Her journey truly exemplifies what it means to follow one’s heart, and her verses serve as a testament to the transformative power of gratitude, echoing the essence of a heart-centered approach to life.
Gratidão (Gratitude): A Poem by Amélia Rodrigues
Thank you, Lord! Thank you for what you have given me and for what you continue to give me. Thank you for the bread, for life, for the air, and for the peace.
Thank you for the beauty that my eyes see at the altar of nature. For the eyes that gaze at the sky, the earth, and the sea. That follow the swift bird that gracefully flies through the blue sky and pauses on the green earth, sprinkled with flowers of a thousand colors.
Thank you, Lord, because I can see my love. Before my eyes, I see blind people walking in the darkness who stumble in the crowd, who cry in solitude. For them, I pray and implore your mercy because I know that after this struggle, in the next life, they too will see!
Thank you, Lord, for the ears that were given to me by God. Ears that hear the sound of rain on the roof. The melody of the wind in the branches of the elm tree. The tears that flow from the eyes of the whole world! Ears that hear the music of the people descending from the hill to the square to sing. For the melody of the immortals, which is heard once and never forgotten! The melodious, tuneful, melancholic voice of the cowboy. And the pain that moans and cries in the heart of the whole world! For the joy of hearing, for the deaf, I want to pray to you because I know that after this suffering, in your kingdom of love, they will hear again!
Thank you for my voice and also for your voice. For the voice that sings, that loves, that teaches, that educates, that hums a song, and utters Your name with heartfelt emotion! In the sound of my melody, I want to pray for those who suffer from aphasia. They do not sing at night, they do not speak by day. I pray for them because I know that after this test, in the new life, they too will sing!
Thank you, Lord, for my hands. For the hands that plow and sow the earth, that bring warmth. Hands of tenderness that free others from bitterness, hands that hold other hands. Hands of charity, of solidarity, hands of goodbyes, that stay wounded, that wipe away tears and suffered pains! For the hands of symphonies, of poems, of surgeries, of psychographies! For the hands that care for the old, their pain, and lack of love. For the hands that cradle in their bosom the body of another’s child without fear!
Thank you, Lord, for the feet that carry me when I walk, without ever complaining. Because I can move. In the presence of my perfect body, I want to pray to you. Because I see upon Earth the crippled, the amputated, the maimed, the paralyzed, who cannot move. I pray for them because I know that after this atonement, in another reincarnation, they too will dance!
Finally, thank you for my home. It’s so wonderful to have a home! It doesn’t matter if this home is a mansion, a slum, a shack, a nest, a bed of pain, a bungalow, a house on the way, or whatever it may be. As long as inside it, there is the presence of a mother’s love, or a father’s, of a wife or a husband, of a child or a sibling, the presence of a friend, the company of a dog, of someone to lend us a hand!
And if I have no one to love me, no roof to shelter me, no bed to lie on, even then, I will not complain. On the contrary, I will say, thank you, Lord because I was born!
Thank you because I believe in you. For your love, thank you, Lord!
This Thanksgiving, I extend a heartfelt invitation for you to pause and embrace gratitude. Let it be more than a seasonal expression; make it a daily spiritual practice that opens your heart and aligns you with the natural rhythm of life. That’s the power of gratitude.
May the spirit of thankfulness illuminate your journey of personal mastery and spiritual growth, radiating outward to enrich the lives of those around you.
Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving filled with love, joy, and the warmth of cherished connections.
From my heart to yours,
