Daily Meditation for September 18, 2026

Did you ever realize that in some ways, complaining was the opposite of being grateful? Because Mr. Jenkins was tired of his seventh grade class constantly complaining, rather than complain about it himself, he made a game of it. He ordered bracelets for his 24 students and told them to put the bracelet on the wrist they chose to be their home base. Each time students complained, they had to move the bracelet to the other wrist—their opponent—and award the opponent wrist a point. The only way students could move their bracelet back to home base was by saying or at least thinking something positive. Each evening before they went home, the students tallied their scores for the day. After 21 days, all the students who had more points than their opponent wrist were given an hour of free time to do things they enjoyed. The result: most students became more grateful.

By Lois Wedl, OSB