Gratitude and Gratefulness

Gratitude and gratefulness. These are two very important words that everyone should know, but better yet, they should be incorporated into everyone's being and daily life. But there is a slight difference between the two.

Gratitude is an abstract noun, it's a description, an abstract way to describe someone being "thankful." Most definitions used the example of someone doing one a kindness, one saying "thank you" and then being *grateful* for the other person's kindness. It's an abstract THING or emotion.

Gratefulness is an attitude, an adjective, it's a way of thinking and feeling. Most definitions that I ran across for "grateful" stated that it is an adjective and it is to "show appreciation for kindness." Hmmm. That's interesting.

Both describe a feeling or emotion, but from different sides. But both are so very important. It's not enough to just say "thank-you" and be thankful for another's kindness, you also need to show appreciation. This means not simply saying "thank you," but expressing your gratitude in other ways... perhaps offering to do something nice, making sure to be polite and respectful to the person(s) that did something for you, etc.

No one gets anywhere in life without remaining humble, having gratitude for the things they have or are given, and also being grateful for the things that others do for them. Sometimes it's a matter of basic good manners, other times it's about having the right attitude and respecting others.

A Precious Gift

Yesterday, my children and I attended a function for their school that they had attended before the May 20th tornado. The school is no longer there and they are in the process of rebuilding it.

A large local church hosted both schools that were demolished for this event. The children were all given a free copy of their school yearbook, new packages of school portraits, a handmade quilt or blanket and a teddy bear.

You see, those who brought this event about, realized the importance of closure and of trying to maintain a sense of normalcy in the wake of a disaster. The children were elated to see some of their friends again and to see their teachers, principal and other faculty members from their school.

For all of us, this event brought a sense of healing and a bit of closure to the day when our lives changed forever. There was laughter, relief, tears of joy, tears of pain for those lost and of course, the overwhelming sense of thankfulness that we were all able to attend this event and that we were all healing.

When my 9 year old daughter broke down into tears at one point, while signing a lost student's yearbook that was going to be given to the child's parents, I found myself on the edge of totally losing my composure. I found myself crying with her. And although for a moment I was concerned about "losing it" in public, I realized that no one there was going to judge my daughter or myself for showing those emotions - they all felt the same thing.

Which leads me to the point I was at when the children and I stopped to visit with some friends after we left the event. We found ourselves watching our children play and discussing our thoughts and emotions in the aftermath of the tornado. Each of us felt that we were all blessed to have come through the tornado safely, even though we lost our possessions.

"Lucky" isn't a word that comes even close to describing the emotions we feel. We were blessed, with the gift of safety and the gift of another day, another chance.

When the worst happens, we often wonder why we were spared when others weren't, we can feel guilty for surviving or we question why the event even happened at all. The truth is, there are simply no good answers for those questions, there are no explanations to assuage our guilt for feeling "lucky."

The conclusion that I've reached is that sometimes there are no good reasons for why things happen or why they happen to certain people. I have just realized that each and every day of our lives is a precious gift, something to be thankful for and that each day is a new beginning. Today is a gift that is too precious to waste, yesterday is another stepping stone in our past path.

This morning, I am thankful that my children and I are alive and safe. I recognize this day as another gift that's been given. What do you have to be thankful for today?