HOMEPAGE for this issue: November 24, 2010

The art of gratitude

Thanksgiving is a time when many people realize, revisit and rediscover the art of gratitude.

When asked to write about and illustrate what they’re grateful for, children in the Denver Archdiocese’s Catholic schools expressed gratitude—for family, friends, food, pets, shelter and seasons—in sincere and thoughtful ways.

Caleb Gold, a third-grader at St. Louis School in Louisville, drafted an essay titled “What I Am Thankful For.”

“I am thankful for little sisters because they are funny and cool,” he wrote—a line most wouldn’t expect from a 9-year-old boy.

His gratitude inventory also included friends and cousins to play with, family to help with homework, grandpas and grandmas that teach him how to be good, “awesome sports” and “other cool things.”

Such expressions of gratitude are not only vital demonstrations of virtue they are also an integral component of health, wholeness and well-being.

“When children get in the habit of practicing gratitude at a young age, it’s generally good for their overall mental health as adults, psychologically and spiritually,” explained Kenneth Cramer, a professional Catholic counselor with St. Raphael Counseling in Denver. “It’s great when kids work on gratitude projects at school. It would be nice to keep that going … to show the importance of giving glory to God all year long, not only at Thanksgiving.”

God’s word on gratitude

Scripture has a lot to say about gratitude and thanksgiving: from the psalms in the Old Testament, to the Gospels and St. Paul’s letters in the New Testament, to the final book of Revelation.

“The Bible talks about showing gratitude and giving thanks to God from the beginning all the way to the end,” Cramer said. “(Revelation) definitely shows us how the ending kingdom (heaven) will be filled with the angels and the saints offering thanks to God.

“Basically when God’s plans are brought to conclusion, thanksgiving will be a constant part of our eternal life and salvation.”

In part of his essay “Things to be Thankful For,” fourth-grader at St. John the Evangelist School in Loveland, Matthew Rottinghaus, offered his interpretation on the role of gratitude in relationships with God and others.

“God sent Jesus to save us. Jesus gave us the beatitudes and the Great Command-ment,” the 10-year-old wrote. “We have to follow the Great Commandment if we want to love others. Without love, we would be nothing.”

He concluded his essay with insight beyond his years: “We all are thankful for something in life. We have to live our life as God told us, to be Christians.”

Benefits of gratitude

Expressing gratitude is not only essential to spiritual health, it’s good for us.

A branch of psychology dubbed “positive psychology” found that people who show more gratitude sleep better, tend to exercise more, and gain a general contentment that may counteract stress and contribute to overall health.

Christopher Peterson, Ph.D., professor of psychology and organizational studies at the University of Michigan, has studied positive psychology extensively.

“Research has shown that gratitude is one of the strengths of character most robustly associated with life satisfaction and all the good things that follow from that,” he wrote on his blog for Psychology Today. “Gratitude is what we call ‘a strength of the heart’ because it forges an emotional bond between people.”

A 2008 study (Froh, Sefick and Emmons) demonstrated that children who practiced grateful thinking had more positive attitudes toward family and school. This type of positive attitude was evident in 8-year-old Sonia Casados’ recent Thanksgiving tribute.

“I’m thankful for many things, like my family,” wrote the third-grader from St. Louis School. “My family helps me with my homework. They can teach me math facts. ... My family loves me very much.”

Getting in the habit

While expressions of gratitude flow freely for some, they require more intentional effort for others.

“Some people have a natural inclination to praise others, and give thanks to God for the gifts they’ve received,” said Cramer. “However, it doesn’t come naturally for everyone. For some, gratitude takes practice.”

He suggested that regular gestures or words of gratitude can generate significant change.

“Start a habit of giving thanks for little things each and every day,” he said. “Even when you’re having a bad day: give a simple thanks to God for your life.”
This can lead an individual to focus on the positive things in life, as opposed to the negative.

“The change I see in my clients when they’re being more grateful is immense,” he said. “Plus it makes other people feel good when you thank them.

“When you’re not expressing gratitude, how do people really know that you care?” he asked.

In an original Thanksgiving prayer, 7-year-old Mollie Pierson, a second-grader at St. Louis, shared her appreciation for God’s creatures, starting her prayer with:

“Dear God, I am thankful for my pet—Tortoise, my dog,” another example of sincere and thoughtful gratitude from the heart of a child.