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Holidays

Grateful for Gratitude

By Julie Murugen
Lakehill Preparatory School, English Department Chair, K-7

Thanksgiving is coming, the time of year when the words “grateful” and “gratitude” abound in advertisements, greeting cards, and church sermons. We are mindful of our blessings (especially those we can eat!), glad to spend time with friends and families, and moved to compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves. When prompted to list the things for which we feel grateful, we say family, health, home, safety, employment, friendships, and such universals. But a recent experience has made me rethink my priorities: I am most grateful for gratitude itself.

Recently, searching for the opportunity to trade apartment life for a home of our own, I got into a rut of focusing on what we don’t have, what we can’t afford, what neighborhoods won’t fit with our commutes, and other negatives. Lost in a self-generated labyrinth of limitation, I felt disconnected from the flow of happiness and well-being that I associate with the presence of God. Worse, I disparaged myself not only for having failed to accumulate sufficient savings, but for what I considered nearly unforgivable: feeling ungrateful for the bounty I possess in a happy marriage, a wonderful job, good friends, and more.

We looked at one more open house, and it would be a great happy ending if I could say it was our perfect answer. It wasn’t–it was far beyond our means. But we both instantly loved it, and suddenly the delight of being fully on the same page with my husband shattered the barriers that had seemed so daunting. At that moment, feeling access to free-flowing thankfulness was like a new life. Nothing had changed but my attitude, but everything had changed.

So, with all sincerity and goodwill, I can say to all, Happy Thanksgiving!

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