Daily Meditation for November 19, 2024

If you woke up tomorrow morning and discovered that everything in your life had disappeared except the things you were thankful for today, what would you have left? When life is filled with challenges or disappointments, maintaining an attitude of gratitude is difficult. Yet studies show that people live longer, healthier lives when they recognize the blessings found in the routine of each day. When did you last express gratitude for waking up in a heated—or air-conditioned—home, for having clean air to breathe, food on your table, clean water at the turn of a faucet, and especially the people whose kindness and forgiveness are experienced daily? Have you recently thanked a healthcare worker, teacher, farmer, gardener, police officer or firefighter? During this Thanksgiving month take time to express gratitude for the many wonderful things in your life that are often taken for granted, especially the people who love you.

By Mary Weidner, OSB