November is the month we get a gratitude booster shot.
Several people I know keep public gratefulness journals in November each year. Each day we read their expressions of thanks for aspects of their lives.
It can be helpful to be reminded every so often. We may forget we need to share our appreciation.
There is power in giving thanks. Gratefulness transforms the way we experience the people and world around us. Thanking people can change the way they perceive us and help strengthen their hearts.
The power of deep thanksgiving transcends an annual booster shot. It is not enough to think of 30 people and write about thanking them. Being reminded to be grateful is only the first step.
The shallowness of our gratitude is a result of believing we are primarily responsible for ourselves. We believe we are controlling our own lives. Why would we be grateful if we are doing everything?
It is easy for us to forget the people to whom we owe real gratitude. We may not remember the people who have made sacrifices to allow us to live the lives we have. We forget we stand on the shoulders of giants, the price others have paid for us.
The power of true gratefulness shakes the ways we understand the world. Slowly, drop by drop, being thankful helps us see how little we do for ourselves. Our present, and our future, depend on what others have done in our past.
What we can do tomorrow will be the result of a network of actions taken by many people.
Being grateful is not merely a way to be nice to people. Gratefulness shapes who we will become.
How does your gratefulness shape your mind and heart?
Who will be thankful for what you do today?
[Image by Nick Saltmarsh]
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