Children and Gratitude

It is around now that I start thinking about the difference between need and want.  When I was a kid, my brother and I would gather all of the catalogues we had in the house and circle everything we wanted for Christmas.  Kids are still kids and the catalogues keep on coming.

It seems to me that there is the potential for more this time of year: more gratitude, more heart, more community. 

Here are some ideas of bringing more of what counts into the lives of ourselves and our families:


Gratitiude

Research has been done that shows thankfulness and gratitiude can improve a person's health, help them sleep better, and stay connected with a sense of community when feeling low. 

This is what Jennifer Miller suggests: "Make a point before each member of the family goes off to school and work to look for specific ways to appreciate them."

How about a note of gratitiude in school lunches?



Interdependence

Polly Young-Eisendrath, author of The Self-Esteem Trap, says that when children feel a part of something larger, and the interconnectedness bewteen us all, they have a healthier sense of self.

To give children a true sense of contribution, plan a task that will require a little elbow grease.  Bundle up and go for a walk together in the neighborhood collecting pennies for The World Wildlife Fund.  Go through outgrown hats and gloves and bring them to a nearby women's shelter.  Or maybe make cards to bring to the nearest nursing home.  These small gestures, help give children a sense that we are all in this together.


Heart

To know my husband well is to know that he loves to sing.  In the shower, making breakfast, during stressful times, and definitely around the holidays, my husband brings music into our homes.  (Thank goodness he has a beautiful singing voice!)  Music, singing puts smiles on people's faces and lifts the hearts of many. 

Gather a group of people to go singing this holiday season.  You can sing in your neighborhood, local elderly community, or I've even heard of kids singing at no-kill animal shelters.  Or like Clark Griswald would surely tell us, sing in the car.

Not the singing type?  Think of other ways to bring heart to your holidays.  What greater gift is there than love?


Peace to you and those you love,

Rebecca

 

Gratitude for Work

A practice taken from Donald Altman's fantastic resource and guide  One-Minute Mindfulness:



"Make a list of everything you can be grateful for in your work.  You can start by listing all of the things that your work makes possible in your life: a car, a roof over your head, running water, electricity, medical benefits for you and your family, and so on.  Don't be stingy with your gratitude as you consider all that your work provides for you.  Carry the list with you to remind yourself what your job means for you and others in your life."



Be well,

Rebecca