Gratefulness is one of the most cherished qualities of the soul. It arises from an awareness that we are blessed. Something has entered our lives that we could not have given ourselves. Gratitude awakens when we recognize that without that gift, we would be at a loss.

September 22, 2025

We are complex creatures, so to understand ourselves in depth may be daunting. Not only are we continually changing, but we also have multiple aspects and layers within ourselves. Many of us know our outer self, yet do not explore our depths. But amazingly, in our depths are wondrous aspects we hardly know and therefore never enjoy or express.

September 20, 2025

In Christianity, the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed and Eastern Orthodox churches all use a variation of the phrase "it is right to give him thanks and praise" during the opening dialogue of the Eucharistic prayer. This dialogue between the priest and the congregation, is known as the Sursum Corda, an ancient part of the Christian liturgy.

September 19, 2025

The gardenia bushes beside our back porch didn’t bloom in June, as always. I believe we trimmed them too much and too late. One of the large gardenia bushes comes from my home place in Mobile, where I grew up. I recall smelling the gardenia blossoms from that very bush as a little boy. Gardenias have a one-of-a-kind fragrance. It’s sweet, deep, mildly exotic yet earthy, creamy, and with a subtle layer of spice as you continue taking it in. In its own way, it is intoxicating. The scent becomes stronger in the evening. 

September 18, 2025

In Cherokee, the word for expressing gratitude is Otsaliheliga (pronounced oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah), which means "we are grateful." The concept of thankfulness is deeply woven into Cherokee culture, particularly in ceremonies that honor the Earth and the Creator. All Native American tribes include gratefulness in their ceremonies and daily rituals. Not only native Americans but indigenous cultures around the world, from the aborigines in Australia, to tribes in Africa to the indigenous people in South America, all honor the quality of gratefulness, especially gratefulness to nature. 

September 17, 2025

Have you ever given a gift, but your gift was never acknowledged? Though you did not give it to be thanked, without the acknowledgment from the person who received the gift, the circle of giving is incomplete. Completing the circle of giving includes gratefulness. I believe this may be why in most religious traditions, thanksgiving to God is an important dynamic. It completes the cycle of giving. It is acknowledgment of receipt of a blessing. 

September 16, 2025

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.