Searching for Moments of Gratitude

 RENEWING MY FAITH

Every year, attending the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress is my way to renew my faith. As I traveled there in March of 2018, I was feeling concerned that my family and I tended to focus on the bad things happening each day. While I had established a firm tradition of saying the rosary, I wasn’t very consistent with my other prayer practice of writing in a prayer journal (ironic for a writer).

THE BEST WAY TO BE HOLY IS TO BE GRATEFUL

It is so beautiful that the Holy Spirit always helps. When I attended a talk at the conference by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, one of the first things he said was that the best way to be holy is to be grateful. How simple and easy this seemed! I would have thought holiness required great sacrifice or acts of significant compassion.

I wasn’t actually sure that I believed him, but then he gave the example of St. Therese, one of my favorite saints. St. Therese (on the surface) lived what seemed to be a very ordinary life, but she always recognized the divinity in each moment. I suppose that is what gratitude is, understanding the grace that is present in each moment that we are so fortunate to encounter.

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT!

After this wonderful inspiration at the RE Congress, I had to become practical. How could I make sure gratitude didn’t get shoved off my to-do list? I needed to find a way to put it on my phone. There are fantastic apps for that! I use one that allows me to write a short bullet list of “gratitudes” for each day and include a photo (or not). It can be just a few quick words or a simple photo (sometimes a photo of something as ordinary as a restaurant sign).

GRATITUDE IS…

Here are some ways gratitude has occurred for me:

• Seeing an animal when I’m out running, spotting something new in bloom, or noticing the way the seasons have changed
• Experiencing amazing moments, like riding in a hot air balloon
• Enjoying a simple egg dish my husband always makes for me in advance, because he knows I wake up early
• Sharing a memory with family: remembering so many adventures with my daughter or recalling times with my nephew explaining tactics for a popular game
• Having an impactful moment at my healthcare data analysis job where we’re working on exciting projects for chronically ill patients
• Reading an inspirational quote
• Finding a pertinent Scripture verse
• Hearing and learning something new on a podcast during my commute
• Experiencing a moment of discernment: e.g., a friend of mine photographs heart shapes whenever she sees them, moments of grace that remind her she is following her call from God.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT’S JUST A BAD DAY?

What happens when it’s just a bad day? Sometimes I’ve created a gratitude moment. I thought at first that was artificial – until I realized it could be meaningful for someone else. On a certain Monday, nothing particularly special had happened at work. I hadn’t seen anything beautiful in nature. It was just a blah day. I had nothing to enter in my gratitude journal. Then I had the idea that I could set out a candle and flower at dinner. My daughter lit up despite the bland Monday-ness. Suddenly we had a gratitude moment!

I hope you encounter many gratitude moments.

First published at SherryWeaverSmith.com. Published with permission.