Why should
anybody care about being grateful, about cultivating and then harvesting the
bounty of our gratitude?
Why?
Why? …
When I asked
this question, the answer was immediate and unambiguous:
because it
makes the world a better place in this moment.
“Gratitude helps
us foster an emotional climate within us that translates to our external
landscape...to our tasks, our relationships, our life changes, our attitudes...
and, yes, to our writing.”
Make a
gratitude list.
Craft a thank
you note.
Write a letter
of recommendation.
Compose
praiseful poetry or prose.
Write down
mantras or prayers of thanksgiving.
Journal about
life's blessings - general and specific.
Write stories
of challenges overcome.
Send appreciative
text messages or emails.
Handwrite
letters and greeting cards.
Etch words of
gratitude into sand or dirt outside.
Create prayer
flags with messages of thanks.
Make a deck of
angel cards focused on synonyms for gratitude.
Gratitude is a
condition of the immediate. It is not about the future (which is “hope”) or about
the past (which is “reverie”).
Gratitude is
about what we have.
Gratitude is
about balance; it doesn’t require a lot
of something to have gratitude.
Gratitude is
about small stuff as much as global, life-changing matters.
Gratitude is specific.
(It is not, “my health is good.” It is, “my shoulder moves freely today.”)
Gratitude
requires an acknowledgement of blessings.
More than a
feeling or value, gratitude is a set of behaviors that we can cultivate.
Gratitude is
about giving away to others, serving them, out of our abiding appreciation for
life.
Appreciative
acknowledgement. How wholly holy is the sacred practice of noticing right now,
with our lips in the shape of a grin, and saying:
“I am grateful!”
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| Thanksgiving Day 2015 |
All blog images created & photographed by Jennifer J. Wilhoit unless otherwise noted. Please circulate images with photo credit: "©2015 JenniferJWilhoit/TEALarbor stories. AllRightsReserved."
