Gratitude is a virtue that makes us aware of the gifts we receive every day and the generosity of the givers.  So gratitude consists of recognizing the favors or blessings we have received during our life from God, the Blessed Mother, family, friends and even strangers.  Looking back, looking present and maybe even taking a little peek into the future, we come to realize that everything in our life is a blessing orchestrated by God.  He has been showering His blessings on us our entire life, even when we didn’t recognize them. 

At this time it would be good if we spent a little time reflecting on our entire life, going back as far as we can remember.  When looking back, I’m grateful for the fond memories of experiences I’ve had, and I’m so thankful that I can still remember them today.  Here are a few of my own special memories:

·        All the unique learning experiences from my Uncle Joe, who was the kind father-figure in my life.

·        When visiting my Italian grandmother, I remember the wonderful smell in her house of the pasta sauce that she started every morning.

·        Visiting my best friend in high school and joining his family to pray the Rosary.

·        The many new friends that I interacted with as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador.

·        Being in the delivery room during the birth of one of my children.

·        The real feeling of love from the Blessed Mother, which she poured into my heart twice, once in Medjugorje and while visiting her Holy Land home, now located in Loretto, Italy.

Now take the time to recall some of your own special memories . . .

Continuing on with this topic, we can think about all the wonderful people that God has placed in our life (family, friends, classmates, fellow workers, mentors, and so many others), some for a short time, some for a lifetime, and most for the times in-between.  We can visualize the many special blessings and miracles that He has given us along our journey.  They have all been gifts from God!

It will greatly benefit us to develop an attitude of gratitude because it will serve us well throughout our life. It will help us to be thankful for everything, no matter how big or how small.  For example, we are extremely thankful each day for the gift of another day of life when we awaken in the morning; we thank Jesus for giving us the opportunity to have our sins forgiven through the Sacrament of Confession; we enjoy the sound of a cricket by our front door.

We are thankful for our everyday experiences: the sunshine and the rain, the rainbow we see, a glorious sunrise, the love expressed within our family, true friends, the flock of mallards flying overhead, safe travels, a parking space in a crowded parking area, our health and our talents from God, being forgiven by family or friend, receiving the grace to accept a heavy cross in our life that we are carrying to allow the Lord to do some good out in the world.  Think also about all those people who serve us that we can be grateful for – the cafeteria worker that fixes us breakfast before work, the gas station attendant who sells us our gasoline, the checker and bagger at the supermarket, the greeter at church, the teller at the credit union, the clerk at the post office, the soldiers protecting our freedom, and the many others.  So everything, and everyone, that touches our life in any way is gift from God, and our life should be a continual act of thanking Him and them.  Thank Him with all our heart!

It is so important to teach our children to have this attitude of gratitude in their own lives because we know it will serve them well.  Children learn by what they experience, and it all begins at home.  By always smiling and saying “thank you,” even for the smallest things, we foster an attitude of gratitude among our children.  Some examples of how we can teach them about gratitude and generosity:

·        Be thankful for what people do for us with a thank you note or maybe a small gift.

·        Let the children hear us thank God each morning for the gift of another day of life.

·        Say a small prayer of thanksgiving before and after meals.

·        Pray with our children at night, thanking God for all the gifts received that day.

·        Pray with our children for the needs of others - for the sick, for those without food and shelter, for those seeking jobs, etc. (Let the children think of some others.)

·        Volunteer as a family at a local soup kitchen.

·        Donate food and clothing to local food banks and charities for the needy.

·        Get the family involved in selecting charities to donate to.

·        Place a sharing box in a corner somewhere in the house so our children can place the toys they want to share with needy children.

·        Take the children out into nature to experience the beauty of God’s Creation.

However, the greatest gift that He will ever give us, meaning all mankind, is Jesus coming to earth to die on the Cross for every sin we will commit during our life.  A lifetime of thanking Him for this stupendous gift would greatly please Jesus, but there is more to the story.  Jesus came to earth to give us a roadmap to find our way to our true home, Heaven.  We thank Him every day for that gift because without it we would likely be lost, following the ways of the world to destruction for ourselves.  LET’S KEEP OUR EYES FIXED ON JESUS FROM THIS MOMENT ON!