Blog 8: Voice of Gratitude

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

Melody Beattle

During this season of Advent, I have been reflecting on gratitude. The four weeks of Advent focus on Joy, Hope, Peace and Love. How does gratitude give us a sense of “real” life? Advent is a time of waiting; In life, we wait and wait in many ways. We wait in line at the grocery store, the movies, at the stop light, we wait for the mail and we could continue to list things that we continue to wait for. This posture is foreign to us at a time when we want immediate gratification.

At the holiday time, we often feel additional stressors as we are purchasing gifts, preparing food for family and friends, and participating in the rush of each day! However, we can view this time as a time of waiting; waiting for the joys of the season, enjoying the time with family and friends, and anticipating the gifting of special items to loved ones, as well as receiving those gifts selected specifically for us.

This is a time to find voice for pausing, reflecting and waiting! All with joy, hope, peace and love.