I recently found myself standing in line at Subway.
In front of me was a young girl who couldn’t have been more than 10, and she was ordering a pizza sub for herself while her mom ran to the restroom.
For such a young girl, I was impressed by her poise and confidence, but what struck me was her relentless appreciation for every little thing.
- What bread can I get you? Herbs and cheese, please.
- Would you like this toasted? No, thanks.
- Would you like cheese? Oh yes, I love cheese!
- Would you like veggies? Yes, please—lettuce, tomatoes, and lots of pickles!
When she was done ordering, she leaned over the change dispenser, flashed a smile to the cashier, said thank you, and quietly told her she did a good job. All this with: impeccable eye contact, a warm disposition, and a spirit of friendliness that genuinely permeated the entire restaurant. So much so, when her mom returned, the elderly man behind me affirmed the little girl’s infectious gratitude, and—I kid you not—the Subway staff started clapping.
It was such a simple unfolding, yet it created a contagious ripple effect.
Which got me thinking …
When was the last time you or I said thank you to God?
Yes, life is busy, hard and complicated, and there is never a shortage of hardships to gripe about, or unanswered wonderings to dwell upon. But in the midst of your daily irritants and ongoing uncertainties, when was the last time you genuinely permeated your life—and those around you—with relentless appreciation and infectious gratitude?
As you spend time this week sitting with the following prompts and exploring the soul work of gratitude, may I invite you to take cue from “The Subway Girl?”
- Lean in to life with gratefulness
- Flash a smile to those around you
- Tell someone they’re doing a good job
- And pray two little words to God over every little thing: thank you.
“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” —Meister Eckhart
—With Joy
Pause for Thought
“Only he who gives thanks for the little things receives the big things. We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts he has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts … We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from him the little things?”
Source: Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, Life Together, SCM Press, 1963, p.19.
Source: Pacific Jubilee Newsletter, October 2023, Thanks Giving Blessing, by Cherie Westmoreland.
For this month’s free art-offering on gratitude, click here for the expanded, printable version.
Pause for Practice
Begin the day with two bowls: one empty and one with small stones. As you go about your day, move a stone from one bowl to the next while expressing (aloud or inwardly) something you’re grateful for. Try to be specific rather than general. For example, specifically acknowledge, “I’m grateful my daughter phoned this morning,” rather than, “I’m grateful for family.”
By day’s end, all the stones will be transferred and the next day you can begin again, going in the other direction. The effectiveness of this practice is that the bowls serve as a visual reminder—as real life is unfolding—to pause and be grateful.
Source: Pacific Jubilee Newsletter, October 2023.
Pause for Prayer
“I will thank him for the pleasures given me through my senses, for the glory of the thunder, for the mystery of music, the singing of birds and the laughter of children.
I will thank him for the pleasures of seeing, for the delights through color, for the awe of the sunset, the beauty of flowers, the smile of friendship and the look of love for the changing beauty of the clouds, for the wild roses in the hedges, for the form and beauty of birds, for the leaves on the trees in spring and autumn, for the witness of the leafless trees through the winter, teaching us that death is sleep and not destruction, for the sweetness of flowers and the scent of hay.
Truly, oh Lord, the earth is full of Thy riches!
And yet, how much more I will thank and praise God for the strength of my body enabling me to work, for the refreshment of sleep, for my daily bread, for the days of painless health, for the gift of my mind and the gift of my conscience, for his loving guidance of my mind ever since it first began to think, and of my heart ever since it first began to love.”
Thank you.
Amen.
Source: Kind, Edward, Sermons and Addresses, Longmans, Green and Co., 1911, p 37.
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P.S. This is what neurons look like making new synapses. But likewise, could this not also symbolically represent what the heart, mind, and soul could look like practicing gratitude and uttering words of Thank You?
