Thursday, November 7, 2013

Gratitude is a verb

Gratitude tattoo design by silverwingstattoos
grat·i·tude  [grat-i-tood, -tyood]
noun
the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff.
Dictionary.com

The Facebook trend of posting each day what you are grateful for is inspiring. I am curious, though, how my friends and family take action for their gratitude. How often do we pause during the day to not only reflect on what we have to be grateful for, but to demonstrate that gratitude in our lives?

How often do you say "Thank you?" It's such a simple statement. It takes seconds to say, and it may be disregarded or shrugged off by the recipient, but for many, it means so much. I'm the kind of person who thrives more on acknowledgement than gifts. If you're specific about what you're thanking me for, it means that much more to me.

A woman I'm friends with on Facebook but have not seen in years wrote me a private message just to tell me how grateful she has been for my support while she was going through some difficult times. "In many ways, you help me though ever realizing it. Thank you for the love and support," she wrote. Such a simple statement, but it had a strong impact on me. To me, what I wrote in a Facebook comment seemed like mere words, but to her, they actually helped. Words have a power we may not consciously notice, but our psyches do.

If you are reading this, thank you for your support. And, for those who share words of wisdom, encouragement, and support with me when I am struggling, thank you. You help me realize that I am not alone.

With love and gratitude,
dawn marie

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