Gratefulness Part 1
September 16, 2025
Gratefulness Part 1
Welcome to this week’s series of Daily Reflections on the subject of “Gratefulness.”
Like most of us, I tend to think of many things as “givens,” such as our body, family, and all people. Then, of course, there are the trees, skies, mountains, oceans, learning, and emotion, all of which have been there from the beginning. All this was here when I arrived, so why express gratefulness for it? The givens of our life can be compared to our table at a restaurant. We never question if there will be a table in the establishment, and we don’t express thanks for it; it is already there when we arrive, and it is part and parcel of being in a restaurant.
The term “given” means something that is “taken for granted”: That thing was granted to us, therefore it will always be there. When something is taken for granted, we see no need for thankfulness to be expressed to the source. We assume it is unquestionably ours. But life teaches us that what we take for granted isn’t necessarily always ours, always available and always there.
Then there are the things that are not givens, that we must acquire. These things do not necessarily come with the territory. We want them or need them. And when we receive them, we have the choice to be grateful for them, or not.
Gratefulness is part of spiritual wholeness. For example, we may have struggled for the things we need and want. We may have prayed for the things we need and want. Or we may have worked for them, begged for them, hatched the idea for them, aspired to them, created them, trained for them, built them from scratch, or they may have simply fallen into our lap. But like all spiritually significant things, they come from a source. Thanking the sources is an act of spiritual completion.
Yes, acknowledging and thanking the source of anything, regardless of how it came into our lives, is a spiritual act. It is a heartfelt action that completes our receiving. And from then on, we live in the gratefulness we first expressed. Expressing gratefulness is the capstone, the piece that gives closure, the final brushstroke on the canvas, the sign that something “took.” Our thankfulness is evidence of the completed connection between the giver and receiver.
Gratefulness is also part of spiritual well-being because it affirms that we know we are not self-sufficient and that we rely on others’ goodwill, mercy, and benevolence. Gratefulness goes hand in hand with humility and empathy. Whenever we genuinely give, we recognize what it feels like to be without what we need or desire. We know what it is like to be on both ends of giving and receiving. So, when we give or receive, we acknowledge the infinite interconnectedness, the flow of giving and receiving among humans and between humans and all other life. If we are thankful for something, we have an appreciation for it. We may even cherish or uphold it.
Spiritual practice: What are some of the givens that a child in your life may be taking for granted? Make some space to be with that child and teach them about the value and worth of those things. It may be a butterfly, the child’s food, or their toys. Tell them that no givens are for sure, and that gratefulness keeps us aware of the fact that these are a gift.
Self-inquiry: What is the thing you are most grateful for? To whom would you express appreciation for it?
Prayer: Dear God, I am so grateful, yet I take so much for granted. I pray to be more aware of the gifts always coming from my way to you. And to be thankful to the dear souls who bring those gifts to me from you. Amen
