Clarification

I would like to post a clarification/elaborate on my last lesson learned after having received some questions about it.
"Gratitude for things and people makes detachment from them a little easier"
True, it is a bit of an obscure thought and one that is not ALWAYS true. The thought arose from a myriad of other thoughts, including missing my family, the death of a friend, and the loss of another one to marriage. I began to consider why I was having these thoughts, and a reason that they all had in common was that I didn't express my gratitude to those people enough and so it was harder to be far away from them/lose them. If I had told them more often how much I loved them, how thankful I was that they were in my life and grateful for all the things they brought to the planet, it wouldn't hurt so much to be far away. In a way the same thing goes for objects or possessions. To be grateful for the things you have or the opportunities you are given in life makes you appreciate them more and in a way prepares you for them to be taken away. If not that, then at least it isn't as much of a shock if they are lost.
I realize that this probably makes little sense but it is difficult to explain. This was my personal interpretation of the connection between gratitude and detachment and I hope that others can draw their own conclusions and interpretations from it.

Lesson Learned:
Think before you speak, write, and act.