Small Group Ministry, November 2011 ~ Gratitude

Readings for Reflection

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is 'thank you,' it will be enough. ~ Meister Eckhart

Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way. ~  Native American Prayer

The Joy that isn’t shared, I’ve heard, dies young. ~ Anne Sexton

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~  Melody Beattie

For all that has been – Thanks!
For all that shall be – Yes! ~ Dag Hammarskjold

Gratitude is the heart’s memory. ~ French Proverb

Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot. ~ Nigerian Proverb

When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed. ~  Maya Angelou

Spiritual Exercises
1) Keep a Gratitude Journal.  At the end of each day, write about something from that day for which you are grateful and reflect on your blessings at the end of each week.

2) Each night at the dinner table, share one thing from your day for which you are thankful.  Perhaps someone did something to make your day easier, or happier, or helped you have a good day.  Make a mental note of it and share it at dinner with your family.  Have everyone take a turn sharing.  See if you pay closer attention to ‘small’ blessings throughout the day knowing that you’ll be sharing something at the dinner table.

3) Gratitude is also about thanking those around us. During the day, send a thank you to someone who has done something for you, either big or small.  Say it in person, send a note, or simply thank that person in your heart and mind.

And from Reverend Kent:

Dear Friends,

I have already been in two rich and rewarding small group meetings reflecting on the theme of gratitude. Personally I can never focus too much on this important theme. 

This is a note regarding a website I referred to in a recent letter.  Apparently the website I pointed people towards is not being updated this year.  I have since realized that my colleague and friend, Rev. Ken Beldon of the WellSprings UU congregation, has a website he is running for people to engage with on a daily basis regarding gratitude. Actually two years ago some of us followed along with him and had a very rewarding experience. Hence, I am once again pointing anyone who is interested to Ken’s webpage: thirtydaysofgratitude.com

Check it out and try some of his reflections and exercises.

In faith,
Kent

Session Plan

Chalice Lighting
I thank you God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes ~ ee cummings

Check In 
Take a minute or two to share briefly the high and low points in your life since we last met.

Reading
How many of us go through our days parched and empty, thirsting after happiness, when we’re really standing knee-deep in the river of abundance?

Let’s choose today to quench our thirst for ‘the good life’ we think others lead by acknowledging the good that already exists in our own lives.  We can offer the gift of our grateful hearts.

A French proverb reminds us that ‘Gratitude is the heart’s memory.’  Begin this day to explore and integrate this beautiful, life-affirming principle into your life, and the miracle you have been seeking will unfold to your wonder and amazement.
 ~ Sara Ban Breathnach

Sitting in Silence
Let’s pause for a moment to silently consider this reading,

Sharing/Deep Listening
* As you go about a day with a grateful attitude, what small things do you notice that you might have missed?

* Gratitude is about keeping an open mind.  It is about not having your mind so set on an apple that you can’t be grateful when given a luscious pear.  How have you found ways to be grateful for the ways that life turned out, rather than the ways you expected it to be?

* Have you found ways to be grateful for difficult people or circumstances?

* How do you cultivate a thankful heart?

Reflection
This is a time to supportively respond to something another person said or to relate additional thoughts that may have occurred as others shared.

 
Singing
#128, For All That Is Our Life

For all that is our life, we sing our thanks and praise
For all life is a gift, that we are called to use
To build the common good
And make our own days glad.

Extinguishing the Chalice
Just as millions of snowflakes pile up to create a blanket of snow, the ‘thank yous’ we say pile up and fall gently upon one another until, in our hearts and minds, we are adrift in gratitude. ~ Daphne Rose Kingma