Thoughts on Gratitude

"Gratitude is an essential element of successful recovery and long-term emotional health.

When we express our appreciation for the gifts we have been given, we are able to put our everyday stresses and struggles into their proper perspective, and focus on the positive elements that give our lives purpose and significance."

That said, it's not always easy to remember to be thankful or grateful. In times of joy or abundance, we often forget to give thanks for what we have -- and in darker moments, we often struggle to see the bits of beauty that continue to surround us.

In the spirit of the season and to help promote a spirit of gratitude every day, we provide a link to a list compiled by some of our colleagues.

Be safe and Happy Holidays- Editors and VIP staff

1. “Be present in all things and thankful for all things.” — Maya Angelou
2. “Thankfulness creates gratitude, which generates contentment that causes peace.” — Todd Stocker
3. “Two kinds of gratitude: the sudden kind we feel for what we take; and the larger kind we feel for what we give.” — Edwin Arlington Robinson
4. “There are things you do because they feel right and they may make no sense and they may make no money and it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other and to eat each other’s cooking and say it was good.” — Brian Andreas
5. “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” — A.A. Milne
6. “For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and food, for love and friends, for everything thy goodness sends. I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
7. No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. — Alfred North Whitehead
8. “Let’s be grateful for what we have. Let’s be mindful of those who have less. Let’s appreciate those who hold a special place in our lives, and make sure they know it.” — President Barack Obama
9. “The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.” — Henry Ward Beecher
10. “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” — Aesop
11. “In the end, maybe it’s wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.” — Elizabeth Gilbert
12. “Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.” — Alphonse Karr
13. “Thanksgiving is the holiday that encompasses all others. All of them, from Martin Luther King Day to Arbor Day to Christmas to Valentine’s Day, are in one way or another about being thankful.” — Jonathan Safran Foer
14. “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey
15. “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton
16. “We can lift ourselves and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude.” — Thomas S. Monson
17. “Find a bit of beauty in the world today. Share it. If you can’t find it, create it. Some days this may be hard to do. Persevere.” – Lisa Bonchek Adams
18. “Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” — Henri Frederic Amiel
19. “Blessed are those who can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.” — Anonymous
20. “The will to love, the desire to help, and an open mind with gratitude can unlock the door to eternal happiness.” — Debasish Mridha
21. “Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.” — Native American saying
22. “It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.” — Naomi Williams
23. “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward
24. “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.” — Meister Eckhart
25. “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” — Maya Angelou
26. “If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” — Harold Kushner
27. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy
28. “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” — Epictetus
29. “The height of our success is marked at the depth of our gratitude.” — Terry Crouson
30. “There is calmness in a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy” – Ralph H. Blub
31. “We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.” — Neal A. Maxwell
32. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Ward
33. “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero