“LOVE UNTIL IT HURTS, HURTING IS A GOOD SIGN”  Gratitude continues. (Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta)   These words emerged from the heart of a woman who gave her life for the Love of the poorest, and are based on a great teaching and truth. Jesus said “no one has greater Love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) Meaning that those who choose to serve others with what they have show signs of true Love. And how can we thank someone who not only gave you something but gave their own life for you? This is why, in so many cultures, Mother’s Day is celebrated with such a high level of gratitude for the one who laid down her life to give birth to her babies and nourished her children out of genuine Love. This is a follow-up to last month’s reflection on gratitude because this is a very serious, life-changing understanding. If we truly apply gratefulness to our lives, we will be happy, and God will provide us with everything we need. I personally believe that there is a small flock of people dwelling in this world who have discovered the secret of abundance. First, they discovered that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the abundance of life. Without them, we live in scarcity. With them, we live an abundant life, despite the apparent lack of any material needs. I have decided to develop a series of topics related to the significance of gratefulness, the secret of an abundant life. If you understand and cultivate a grateful heart, you may discover the abundant life as described by Jesus “I came so that they might have Life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) If you believe and act upon the meaning of gratefulness, you will undoubtedly live Life on a different level. The dictionary defines gratefulness as a feeling of esteem and recognition towards a person who has done a favor or rendered a service to you, and you want to reciprocate. The word gratefulness comes from the Latin root “gratus”, which means “pleasant”, and also refers to terms related to grace, gratuitousness, and “gratis” (for free). Something really important, that I value much more now, is the example set by my mother. My mother did not have any formal education; she never went to school. At age 7, her mother died and a few months later, she was abandoned by her father. Her life was one of great suffering and poverty. Nevertheless, she was a great teacher to me. She gave freely to people, and I could see that, even though she lived in scarcity, she would always share whatever little she had with those in need. As a child, I wondered why my mom would give our neighbor the only tortillas we had. Later, I discovered that her actions stemmed from her being grateful to God for the ability to take an action to be gracious to another. And…