Currently viewing the tag: "Gratitude"

Catoctin KIDs

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Counting Our Blessings

by Anita DiGregory

In celebration of the last day before an extended holiday break, my daughter’s lovely and very talented tutor had created a “Grammar Bingo” game for the class. Each child chose their own card from her stack of handmade bingo cards.  My daughter chose hers and then proceeded to win grammar bingo not once, not twice, but five times!  As we climbed into the car with all her candy winnings, I joked on our way home from our homeschool cooperative that maybe she should try her luck with a lottery ticket.  Her homemade cards made me think, though: Can you imagine if we all had bingo cards for the year 2020?  Who would have had murder hornets for the win? How about toilet paper hoarding?

I think we could probably all agree that if 2020 had a motto, it would be the year when everything was out of whack and nothing went as planned. For many, it was a year of tragedy, of loss, of division, of suffering, of sadness, of isolation.  Many have fallen ill; many have lost friends and loved ones. And all of us, even those fortunate enough not to personally be infected, have been impacted by the reverberations of this pandemic. And, as a result of the very nature of the beast, we have been denied of the very things that would bring us any semblance of solace: church services, gyms, restaurants, and even each other. 

Last Thanksgiving, my family lost not just one but two beloved family members. I recently read somewhere that the human body remembers trauma. As these anniversaries drew closer, I could feel my anxiety grow.  And, as the 2020 holiday season drew closer, I so deeply desired to be with all of my loved ones. Unfortunately, that couldn’t happen. My parents and brothers and their families couldn’t be here. Even my son, my expectant daughter-in-law,  and our granddaughter couldn’t be with us, care of COVID-19…the gift that keeps on giving.

I may never get “the big picture” or understand why things happen the way they do, but I do trust in God and His perfect love for each and every one of us. Even as COVID-19 threatens to follow us deep into 2021, we can still choose to make this a wonderful year and strive to become our best selves. I think the challenge lies in becoming the best version of ourselves, not because of all life presents us with, but in spite of it. One of the keys to this may be cultivating an attitude of gratitude.  For example, instead of thinking of all 2020 as ruined, perhaps it would be helpful to count the blessings it brought. I have a friend who shared that she chooses to remember 2020 as the year she had her husband at home, a year that brought them closer as a family and as a couple.  Personally, 2020 brought much of my family back under one roof again. I am thankful for the gift of time with my loved ones, and I find myself even more grateful for and appreciative of those times when we are all together. I am also thankful for all those working on the frontlines, for the doctors; nurses; police; fire, rescue, and EMTs; priests; teachers; and the parents who have added homeschooling tutors to their long list of responsibilities this school year.

Gratitude reminds us of those things we may have taken for granted and helps us focus on all the blessings in our lives. Cultivating gratitude isn’t always easy; it is a skill worthy of developing and practicing each day. 

Overwhelming amounts of research show that gratitude is the most powerful way to increase happiness. Simply developing the habit of writing in a gratitude journal for five minutes a day has been proven to have substantial health benefits. Furthermore, in a research study that examined those who counted their blessings and those that counted their burdens, it was noted that the grateful group reported increased well-being, had better health, exercised more, felt life was better, and had increased optimism. But that is not all. In over 50 studies on gratitude, it was observed that grateful individuals experienced improvements in their health, personality, and career, as well as personally, socially, and emotionally. Some specific benefits included improved health and sleep, increased energy, optimism, altruism, self-esteem, better relationships, and feeling happier, more relaxed, and more resilient. 

So here’s to making 2021 different. Let’s make it a year to become the best version of ourselves, to be present and intentional in every moment. Let’s put what really matters most first. Let’s work hard but strive to love and pray harder. Let’s perform random acts of kindness, help others, give more than we get, say “I love you,” go to church, say “I am sorry,” and not put off until tomorrow what we should get done today. Let’s not take one second for granted, but count our blessings and strive to be grateful for all the beautiful moments, big and small. It may sound like a tall order, but can you imagine what this world would be like if we all strived to become the best version of ourselves?  I pray that you and yours have a safe, wonderful, and blessed new year.

On The Wild Side

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Christine Schoene Maccabee

Gratitude

As soon as I start feeling sorry for myself because of another problem I have to deal with, something comes in the mail that stops me in my tracks. Here is a quote from the American Indian Relief Council :

“The American Indians are not in good shape. Rusted-out cars and tiny, weather-beaten, time worn homes line the streets. Sometimes two and three families are forced to live in run-down dwellings they call ‘home’. There is a shortage of nutritious food and the brutal winter months and poor health care will threaten the lives of thousands of vulnerable Elders and young children. And, sadly, very little means to celebrate Thanksgiving on the reservation again this year.”

Many good-hearted people, with a little extra money, are sending aid to these Native American communities, which is a good thing. However, most of these poor communities are on reservations, formed due to the historical effort by white settlers to push whole Indian tribes off their ancestral lands and on to arid lands west of the Mississippi (read the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee) and no amount of money will ever be able to make up to them what we as immigrant invaders did.

Still, when white men came to American shores, they were unprepared for the hardships they faced in the wilderness. According to an Elder of one of the present day tribes…“our Ancestors watched the strange ones and could see they were without survival skills. The year was 1621. The pilgrims were not in good shape. They were living in dirt covered shelters. There was a shortage of food and half of them died during the brutal winter. They obviously needed help. My Indian Ancestors brought them food, and taught them how to hunt and farm the land. We shared our knowledge of wild plants and their uses to combat illness. Above all we taught them to preserve berries, teas and other foods to help them through the winters.”

Ultimately the first Thanksgiving feast occurred, but quickly things went downhill, as terrible wars were spawned by both sides. However, a great effort by some settlers was made to continue to learn from the Indians and preserve peace. William Penn, the founder of the state of Pennsylvania, made friends with the Leni-Lenape tribe (Delaware Indians) and signed a treaty of friendship with them that sadly only lasted twenty years. Later, in 1682, Benjamin West painted “The Peaceable Kingdom” in an effort to inspire greater feelings of hope for peace in the future. If you look closely at the painting (shown right), on the left hand side you will see the gathering of Indians and white men as they signed the treaty of friendship. The larger image of children fearlessly mingling with wild creatures is a visual interpretation inspired by the prophecy in Isaiah, which says that someday the lion will lie down with the lamb, which of course is purely symbolic of mankind’s desire for peace.

These days, peace in the world, and our nation, still seems like a distant dream, even an impossibility.

However, there is another battle being fought, which many people are not fully aware: the warfare we are waging against our planet Earth. I will not dwell on the many disturbing effects our materialistic lifestyles are having on the health of every ecosystem that exists, as that would take a book. However, much like William Penn, I want to learn from the natives. I want to know how to make herb teas from wild plants growing abundantly in my meadows up here in the Catoctins; I want to nurture and eat the wild edibles, and I want to preserve habitat for “all my relations.” I want to know how to preserve the wild berry and other foods to sustain myself and others through hard winters, living simply and in tune with nature. So far, I have learned a lot.

One of the biggest lessons I have learned, however, is gratitude, even when things are not going exactly as I wish. Sadly, not everything works out for everybody. It seems some people have charmed lives, while others are finding roadblocks at every turn. In my own little life, even with all its twists and turns, I find something to be grateful for every day. Life is humbling, that’s for sure. However, as I grow older, I am thankful for little blessings, and there are many. I also thank the Native Americans, who endured unimaginable hardships and yet survived with their interesting cultures and spirituality.

Perhaps as we give more of our time and resources, and reach out to others and the natural world with understanding and friendship, we can all thrive together, not just survive in cardboard shanties with polluted water. Meantime, some of us will continue to eat our humble pie (preferably pumpkin), one slice at a time, and give thanks through it all.

Christine is a member of Thurmont’s Green Team and a Master Habitat Naturalist. She would be happy to help you with habitat, particularly plant ID, on your own property and can be reached at songbirdschant@gmail.com.