My husband and I participated in a youth event through our church this past week.   It was a sweet experience to spend time with about 45 really great young people, and to share our thoughts about gratitude with them.

My husband talked about having eyes for gratitude; really seeing all the blessings we experience day to day.  He brought some old “technology” that looked archaic to kids under 18; they had a lot of questions about some of the things he brought, like his old college slider ruler!   He talked about all the advances in science and medical care that have been achieved over the past 40 years, particularly since these teens were born, and how blessed we are, right now, even with all the “bad news” that is such a prevalent focus in the media today.

I felt to share with them some thoughts about real happiness and a thankful heart, which I share now with you.

Think back to a time when you were really, really happy – perhaps the happiest you can ever remember feeling.   Perhaps it was the day you got married, or the day your first child was born.   For many of the teens we shared time with, it was the day they were baptized, or the day they accomplished something really important to them.   For one girl, it was the day her little sister was born, because then she was no longer an only child. 

As we talked about it further, they realized that these really happy, even joyful experiences had nothing to do with “stuff” – possessions, toys and all the technology they have so abundantly.  These happy, joyful times, which they remembered easily and quickly, were deeper; they touched their hearts and souls, and every experience they named either had something to do with their family, or expressed in some way their truth - who they are as eternal beings, their gifts and talents, or some glimmer of their life purpose. 

As we talked further, we discussed the idea that part of what made those experiences so exceptional, (what I would call peak experiences) was not only the happiness they felt, but also the experience of gratitude that was also present.   Gratitude that these teens felt and that I am referring to now, is not only a mental awareness, but was a feeling in their hearts, of thankfulness, or to use an old word, a feeling of thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving for the experiences they talked about filled their hearts, and brought tears to a few eyes, as they related their experiences that night.   As we talked further, they came to see that real happiness, the kind that is lasting, lifts their spirits and makes their hearts sing, often has this experience of thankfulness, or thanksgiving. 

What makes your heart sing?  What fills you with joy and gladness, and brings tears to your eyes, when you remember it?    Whatever it is, write it down in your journal.  Write down not only the experiences themselves, but your feelings about them, the happiness, the joy, the closeness you felt to those you love and your thankfulness for all the goodness and blessings in your life.  

On Thanksgiving Day, feel and express your thankfulness to those you love, and the Source from Whom all blessings flow.   You will feel richly blessed indeed, and your heart will sing.

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