On Gratitude

Luke at 9 weeks old in 2003.

I recently lost my 14-year-old, yellow lab, Master Luke. After many days of tears and grief, I woke up this morning feeling soothed by a deep sense of love and gratitude.  My aching heart, my sadness, and my sense of loss are being gently transformed by my appreciation for the great gift I have received in having this incredible being of light and love in my life for so many years and through so much change.

Since gratitude is such an important and healing thread in all of our lives I thought to pay it forward a little by reminding us all of some simple ways that we can express our appreciation and gratitude to those who touch our lives.  There are many ways to say thanks and it is always nice to reach out to those who have touched us or made a difference.

Some simple ways to express gratitude include:

• Bake some cookies or other special treat or buy some from a bakery and deliver them or have them delivered.

• Send a handwritten card or thank you note via snail mail.

• Brighten someone’s day by sending or delivering flowers or a nice plant.

• Give a small but useful gift or gift card to someone as an expression of appreciation.

• Make a donation to a charity in someone's name who has touched our life as a way of saying thanks.

• Chocolate, specialty coffee, a nice tea, healthy treats that can be enjoyed are always appreciated!

• Give them a shout out on social media and let others chime in as to how special they are as well.  

These might seem a bit old fashioned, but when was the last time you got a card in the mail or flowers delivered as an expression of appreciation? Life is precious and our connections to each other are a big part of that so why not reach out to say thanks now and then without using the strokes on the keyboard.  If you have a special way of expressing gratitude please share here by posting a comment.