Gratitude: How a thank you changes your whole life!

Stories from the Neflental: Gratitude opens your heart

There is a deep silence in the Neflental valley when the frosty night begins. The paths are covered in snow and the air is clear. Everywhere, the bare branches glisten in the silvery-white light as if they were sprinkled with stars. The stars shine so brightly in the sky that they even bathe the snow-covered peaks of the Dragon's Tooth Mountains in a mysterious light. If you walk through the forest at this time, you can sometimes hear a spherical ringing of bells from afar. The colours of the night are midnight blue, smoky grey and crystal clear.

Pink evergreen and the glowing snowflake dance

Once, Rosa Periwinkle walked carefully through the Frost Night Forest. She wanted to get to the ice rose garden, because special roses grow there. The red and white flowers rest under a layer of ice in winter. It looks as if the flowers are made of glass. Each petal glistens in the night, while the wind makes small, glittering snowflakes dance across the ground.

The path was particularly quiet that evening and ice crystals sparkled from every branch. Rosa Periwinkle listened to the distant ringing of the bells. She stopped and looked at how the light of the stars was reflected in the ice crystals. Piece by piece, she collected little paths of shining snowflakes, because she knew that every flake in Neflental contained a fragment of memory. So winter carries the stories of summer within it.

A miracle happens in the ice rose garden

When Rosa Periwinkle reached the ice rose garden, she stopped. The garden was covered in a thick layer of freshly fallen snow. The rose petals were completely covered in ice. In the silvery-white glow, everything looked as if it had been frozen for a magical moment. The cold had painted a marvellous picture. But something was missing: two ice cream cones were looking for a nut in the cold and had completely forgotten how beautiful the garden was.

Rosa Periwinkle approached the two and whispered: "Look at the glass roses! Isn't that beautiful?" The squirrels were silent at first, then nodded and watched intently. Suddenly they realised that the ice roses were shimmering in the darkness. They looked like little lights in the winter forest and the warm feeling of gratitude awoke in their hearts.

How a small thank you changes everything

One of the ice squirrels looked up at Rosa Periwinkle. It said in a soft voice: "Thank you for reminding us how beautiful everything is, even in the depths of winter." Rosa Periwinkle smiled and replied: "With gratitude, the heart sees even more than the eyes." As they looked at the garden together, more rose petals suddenly shone under the ice like little lights. Their gratitude seemed to have awakened the magic of the conservatory.

The animals hugged each other. They felt how nice it was to be grateful. Their hearts warmed even though it was freezing and snowing outside. The fragments of memory in each snowflake began to shine brighter. Other forest dwellers also found their way to the ice rose garden. They quietly said "thank you" for the magic they were allowed to see and feel.

Together through the frosty night

The frosty night remained cold, but nobody felt the loneliness anymore. The thanks of the ice cream cones and Rosa Immergrün spread throughout the Neflental valley. Soon laughter, cheerful shouts and little stories could be heard everywhere. Everyone understood: only those who are grateful can see the magic in the simplest things. The silver-white branches in the midnight blue, the crystal-clear light and the ringing of the bells - all this became a celebration for all hearts.

What do we learn from this?

A single "thank you" can change a lot. Gratitude gives us courage, opens our eyes and our hearts. It reminds us how beautiful life is, even in the frosty night. Everyone can show gratitude every day - and everything becomes a little brighter.

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