When I was contemplating what I wanted this week’s message to be, the only word that kept coming to mind was gratitude. I guess that is because the message of focusing on blessings and gifts was made so clear to me this past weekend.

During a recent routine shopping trip, I purchased food for a local pantry. I boxed up nonperishable items and went to a local church, which distributes food to families in need. When I arrived, I could not believe the line of people waiting to receive the basic items that most of us take for granted. Witnessing that truly humbled me.

When I got home, all of the things about which I constantly worry, didn’t seem so important. I thought: there but for the grace of God go I. At any moment I could be in that situation. I was thankful I wasn’t. Then, I thought about all of the people and things that I seldom take the time to appreciate. I was overcome with emotion.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and give thanks continuously.” Emerson’s words offer an introduction into what practicing gratitude can look like.

With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. As a result, gratitude helps us connect to something larger than ourselves. Research shows that having a connection to something bigger, even in times of challenge and change, makes us happier and healthier.

It is usually is during the most difficult times that being grateful seems impossible, but that is when it is more important than ever. Gratitude can help us cope with traumatic events, regulate our negative emotions, change our outlook, and lift our spirits. It helps us notice and appreciate all the good things, thereby enabling us to think more positively as a result.

So, how do you actually start a gratitude practice?

Practice mindful moments of gratitude, similar to what I experienced. Take a few minutes every day and focus on the present. Start noticing what’s around you and mentally say everything for which you are grateful.

Then stop replaying every detail of the traumatic experiences in your life. Reframe a situation to focus on a positive aspect. Even though it may not seem possible, there is always something good that can come out of a negative situation.

Finally, share your blessings. Bring more feelings of gratitude into your life by spreading gratefulness. Just like a smile can be contagious, so is a positive, grateful outlook.

What better time to begin this practice than the holiday season?! Thanksgiving through the New Year celebration is the perfect time for reflection; it’s a time of birth and renewal.

So, here’s to the start of something new!