The Power of Gratitude

I have a love-hate relationship with journaling. I always have even though I journaled my way through college, filling up notebook after notebook each year. I know it is good for me, it helps me process the world around me and my experiences. It forces me to examine my reactions and gives me an avenue to see another’s perspective. Through journaling I am able to explore where I have been and where I want to go. It is very much a form of prayer.

In recent years, however, I have found it hard to sit down and journal for the sake of journaling. Perhaps this is due to the addition of two daughters, or because running has replaced journaling as a form of prayer, or the fact that I already spend enough time filling up Moleskins during the day. Whatever the reason, it has gone by the wayside and I have noticed its absence in my life. I have tried to pick it up time and again but it hasn’t stuck.

This fall, while reading a book, I came across the idea of a gratitude journal. Simply end the day by jotting down one or two things for which you are grateful. It seemed like a very low commitment way to reconnect with what I knew to be a healthy and spiritual practice of journaling so I decided to give it a try. I have been doing it since the New Year, and while I miss a day here or there, I have been amazed by the effect of such a simple act. Scanning my day I always find more things to be grateful for than not. When I am not tired, I let my mind go and I’ll write out of gratitude until I am done. When I am tired, I give myself permission to simply write the first thing that comes to mind. In either case, it offers me a sense of peace before I go to bed. I fall asleep faster, which says a lot for me.

When I read today’s reading, I was at first challenged by the themes of sin and judgement. What was I to write? In journaling last night, I was offered a new perspective. Today’s readings are calling me to be grateful for a gracious and merciful God. 

Author: Michele Williams, Asst. Principal of Faculty Formation