“The healthiest of all human emotions is gratitude.”
– Hans Selye (1907 – 1982) Canadian biologist on stress theories
GRATITUDE THRU THE EYE OF ANOTHER – “When someone points out a shortcoming, our first reaction may be defensive.” “If the shortcomings we discover are real, and we have a chance to be rid of them, we will surely experience a sense of wellbeing.” (The Basic Text, p. 36)
A BOUNTY WORTH HAVING – “An honest regret for harms done, a genuine gratitude for blessings received, and a willingness to try for better things tomorrow will be the permanent assets we shall seek.” (The Big Book, p. 78)
The Gratitude Experiment (4:44)
What have you been grateful for, lately?
A Thanksgiving Poem
by Paul Laurence Dunbar, (1872 – 1906)
The sun hath shed its kindly light,
Our harvesting is gladly o’er
[O]ur fields have felt no killing blight,
Our bins are filled with goodly store.
From pestilence, fire, flood, and sword
We have been spared by thy decree,
And now with humble hearts, O Lord,
We come to pay our thanks to thee.
We feel that had our merits been
The measure of thy gifts to us,
We erring children, born of sin,
Might not now be rejoicing thus.
No deed of our hath brought us grace;
When thou were nigh our sight was dull,
We hid in trembling from thy face,
But thou, O God, wert merciful.
Thy mighty hand o’er all the land
Hath still been open to bestow
Those blessings which our wants demand
From heaven, whence all blessings flow.
Thou hast, with ever watchful eye,
Looked down on us with holy care,
And from thy storehouse in the sky
Hast scattered plenty everywhere.
Then lift we up our songs of praise
To thee, O Father, good and kind;
To thee we consecrate our days;
Be thine the temple of each mind.
With incense sweet our thanks ascend;
Before thy works our powers pall;
Though we should strive years without end,
We could not thank thee for them all.
