Thankfulness is much more than saying “Thank you” because we have to. Thankfulness is a way to experience the world, a way to perceive, a way to be surprised. Thankfulness is having open eyes and a short distance between the eyes and the heart. One of the most important qualities of gratitude (thanksgiving) is the ability to say “thank you” to others and to take no one and nothing for granted. Those who possess the virtue of gratitude are truly rich. They not only know they have been blessed but they continuously remember that all good things come from God. The courage to thank- that is, the courage to see the gifts and experiences of this world all together as a gift changes not only the person who gains the insight –it also changes the environment, the world, and those who surround that person.

Fr Thomas Rosica CSB.