Rev. Vicky's Message November 21, 2024

With all that’s happening in our world and the approach of Thanks-giving, I began wondering, how do we sustain gratitude when it feels like so much is going wrong?”

Yet, while it can feel difficult to feel thankful these days, I nevertheless KNOW that gratitude is a transformative spiritual tool that is even more important when we’re faced with challenges. So, remembering that curiosity is an antidote to fear, I started exploring how I might both increase and raise my gratitude practice.

In my exploring, I came across a Guidepost article about the difference between gratitude and thankfulness that had some useful suggestions. "Gratitude vs. Thankfulness: The Big Difference", by Holly Lebowitz Rossi https://guideposts.org/positive-living/health-and-wellness/what-is-the-difference-between-gratitude-and-thankfulness/#:~:text)

So, while the words “gratitude” and “thankfulness” are often used interchangeably, there is actually a distinction that can help us experience even more gratitude in our daily living.

Specifically, gratitude is “an attitude, an overall mentality and mindset that prioritizes appreciation for the gifts and opportunities life offers.” Whereas, thankfulness “is a response to a particular event or experience.” For example, we can be grateful for our spiritual community, but we are thankful that the choir is singing this Sunday.

The author, Rossi, suggests “To cultivate a fully, authentically positive mindset, we must practice both gratitude and thankfulness.”

“Practicing gratitude,” she explains, “means accepting things as they are, while also holding onto our appreciation of things that we value and have access to. Thankfulness,” she adds, “grows out of this mindset, positioning us to be able to notice and express thanks when things do go right, like saying ‘thank you’ or even writing a thank you note.”

Rossi quotes Tennessee psychiatrists James and JR Greene who explain the broad power of gratitude this way: “You do not need something good to happen to have gratitude, and when bad things happen, your gratitude does not falter. You know that sad things are just a part of life, and you are happy with the life you lead.”

The ideal, then, is to have our thankfulness live under an umbrella of gratitude—and our gratitude spoken aloud through words of thankfulness. Because when we pair these two ways of experiencing appreciation, we build a spirit of authentic positivity that shines over everything we do.

Blessings,

Rev. Vicky