This fall we invite you to explore what it means to live a grateful life, as individuals and as a community. Some of us are studying gratitude through small groups and the book Grateful: The Subversive Practice of Giving Thanks by Diana Butler Bass. Even if you aren’t in a group, we invite you to practice gratitude this fall. Order your copy of the book here: Grateful , and find more ideas and resources below.
Explore these resources on gratitude.
Newly Added
Lots of Gratitude links from the Christian Reformed Church
Videos about Gratitude
“It’s not just another day. It’s the one day that is given to you. Today. It’s a gift…..and the only appropriate response is gratefulness.” Spend five minutes with Brother David Steindl-Rast and reflect on the gift of this day in gratitude.
The relationship between joy and gratitude, and the power of a simple gratitude practice.
Practicing gratitude with a photo a day.
Find the photo practice and 4 other terrific Ted talks on practices of gratitude with videos here: https://ideas.ted.com/your-5-day-gratitude-challenge-from-ted/
Find a collection of videos with songs and meditations about gratitude and thankfulness. Earth Wind and Fire, Natalie Merchant, Bon Jovi, hymns, and more.
Articles, Podcasts and more about Gratitude
A variety of articles at Gratefulness.org: https://gratefulness.org/area-of-interest/abcs-of-grateful-living/ and https://gratefulness.org/explore/
An article about Diana Butler Bass and gratitude from The Presbyterian Outlook.
Listen to or read the transcript below from an episode of On Being. “There’s a question floating around the world right now — how can we be joyful in a moment like this? To which Ross Gay responds in word and deed, how can we not be joyful, especially in a moment like this?”
Quotes about Gratitude
Ted Loder quotes on gratitude: “I have tasted bread and wine, hog dogs and caviar, somehow in the alchemy of need and gift and joy, all made holy as God’s own overflowing banquet. I’ve been loved and forgiven beyond all deserving, and all breath to tell of it, by family and friends and God…..”
— Ted Loder in The Haunt of Grace: Responses to the Mystery of God’s Presence
“You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, and swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing, and grace before I dip the pen in ink.”
— G. K. Chesterton quoted in Different Seasons by Dale Turner
“The spiritual practice of gratitude has been called a state of mind and a way of life. But we prefer to think of it as a grammar — an underlying structure that helps us construct and make sense out of our lives. The rules of this grammar cover all our activities. Its syntax reveals a system of relationships linking us to the divine and to every other part of the creation….To learn the grammar of gratitude, practice saying “thank you” for happy and challenging experiences, for people, animals, things, art, memories, dreams. Count your blessings, and praise God. Utter blessings, and express your appreciation to everything and everyone you encounter. By blessing, we are blessed.”
— Grammar of Gratitude By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Find a wonderful collection of quotes about gratitude at Spirituality and Practice
Gratitude Prayers and Practices
Check out these gratitude apps for journaling and learning more about the daily practice of gratitude: Gratitude Apps
Try a breath prayer from a poem by German poet Rainer Maria Rilke.
Breathing in: To praise . . .
Breathing out: is the whole thing.
Growing Faith at Home 