Gratitude

 “Gratitude begins in our hearts and then dovetails into behavior. It almost always makes you willing to be of service, which is where the joy resides. It means that you are willing to stop being such a jerk. When you are aware of all that has been given to you, in your lifetime and the past few days, it is hard not to be humbled, and pleased to give back.” 
― Anne Lamott, Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers

Thanksgiving and reading Anne Lamotte's book, got me thinking about Gratitude. Several years ago, my daughter started a year-long journey of documenting on Instagram something she was thankful for each day.  She then had them printed in a book.  The idea came from Ann Vosskamp's book One Thousand Gifts.  Amazon says:

 In One Thousand Gifts, Ann invites you to embrace everyday blessings and embark on the transformative spiritual discipline of chronicling God's gifts. It's only in this expressing of gratitude for the life we already have, we discover the life we've always wanted...a life we can take, give thanks for, and break for others. We come to feel and know the impossible right down in our bones: we are wildly loved--by God. 

I shared this idea with my circle and two of us have taken that journey of finding something to be thankful for each day:  the song of birds, the color of a leaf, lunch with a friend, a penny found on a parking lot.  We used the hashtag #stmarkthankful and #stmarkthankfuljounal to chronicle our journey.

Recently Katie shared on Facebook an article explaining the huge benefit in seeking gratitude.  Click here for the entire article written by a neuro-scientist.  This article says that just seeking things to be grateful for and sharing with friends releases the dopamine that makes us feel better.

As we are approaching winter when many of us have a tendency to get depressed, look for something to be grateful for, share it with others. If you are on Instagram use one of our hashtags. But, if you don't do Instagram, express your gratitude to your spouse, a friend.  Write a note, make a phone call, send an e-mail or keep a written journal.  It's one of those times when science and faith agree being grateful will make you happier.