and how a gratitude practice can bring more joy to your life. The definition of gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Benedictine monk, Br. David Steindl-Rast, suggests that two qualities belong in our basic definition of gratitude. The first is appreciation: You recognize that something is valuable to you, which has nothing to do with its monetary worth. The second quality Br. David mentions is that gratitude is gratis: freely given to you. Robert Emmons, perhaps the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, also argues that gratitude has two key components: “First, it’s an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received.” In her book, Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life, Angeles Arrien writes: “Gratitude is essentially the recognition of the unearned increments of value in… Read More »
Creating Kind, Giving Children
I grew up with parents who were givers. My dad was always super generous with us, he rarely said no when we asked for things. I never thought of us as spoiled, but I was never wanting for much. There were always price limits – but I was happy. I had to earn my Guess Jeans outfit- complete with jeans, skirt and vest and did so by making splatter paint t-shirts and selling them. My mom refused to spend $100 on clothes for me that I “had” to have. So I earned it. When I wore that outfit, I wore it PROUD. I always had a job in high school because I didn’t always want to ask for money and it just felt good to be earning it myself. My mom was a gym and health teacher in a local high school and was always bringing kids around who didn’t… Read More »
Breathing through Transitions
As we transition from summer to fall, from summer break to school, to new schedules, the month of September is just busy. I had days where I just didn’t have time to eat! That is so rare for me, I am never one to skip meals, but the new schedule made it hard for me to pre-plan and I was in go mode. Some days didn’t end until after 9:00pm at night. Sometimes it feels like I’m holding my breath as I move from activity to work to pick up to soccer to teach to meetings to phone calls to making dinner to cleaning up to just about everything. This month is also particularly hard because it is the anniversary of the birth and loss of our first born son Silas. It’s just a heavy time, and the weight is real. Luckily for me, I know how to breathe, and I… Read More »
