Around this time of the year, as holidays of diverse traditions, many religions and even some now secular, approach, thoughts and expectations of family, food, and fun creep into our thoughts, flood our heart, and blossom into a smile!
A few decades ago I discovered, and was led to the power and then the practice of gratitude.
Two diverse sources, among others, planted this seed.
One was Ralph Waldo Emerson when he wrote(I cannot remember the source):
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
The other source was the early Christian leader and writer who wrote to two different Greek communities.
Paul instructed the Greek community in Thessaloniki to “Give thanks in all circumstances…” (5:18)
And to the community in Philippi he counseled, in a faith context, as, in his experience, the true source of goodness and hence gratitude, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
As a commentator, Paul Harvey would say, “and now for the rest of the story,” I will write about six ways of being grateful and hence developing a practice and hence pattern of gratitude.
