· ·

Dear Kids, Let Me Teach You About The Power of Gratitude

teach kids gratitude thankful

 

Dear kids,

There are so many things I’m trying to teach you during these teenage years, but there’s one life-changing lesson that stands out above the rest because it will make your life richer and more fulfilling. It will give you strength when you so desperately need it, and it will bring you clarity when life gets messy, blurry, and dark. It’s one of the greatest gifts we have to use in our lives and I want you to use it well, use it often, and use it especially when you fall on hard times.

Be grateful.

You might roll your eyes and nod with an “Okay, mom. Got it.”

And in response, I want to cup your face and look into your eyes and say, “No. You don’t get it now, but you will.

As you grow up, you’ll get it more and more. You’ll get that the more you can identify all the things in your life to be grateful for, the more you will realize the power of gratitude and how it affects your perspective, your well-being, and your ability to endure difficult circumstances.

Each day you experience life, each day you are intentional about being thankful, each day you persevere through all the triumphant highs and the devastating lows, you’ll learn how profound gratitude can be.

The more you practice being thankful, the more it will buoy you above tumultuous waters and anchor you down in high winds. It’s the key to joy. It’s the path to peace. And it will always be the most effective way to enrich and enlighten your life. I promise.

It’s easy to be thankful for all the big things, but you need to recognize the small wonders that happen every day and pause to acknowledge them as gifts. Look at the ordinary, mundane, daily rituals with a new lens – do you notice each one?

Don’t let all these tiny blessings pass you by without claiming them as such. The more you identify the details of your life and appreciate them, the happier and more grounded you will be.

It’s easy to be grateful for the big opportunities that come your way, but the true art of being grateful has its greatest power in magnifying the small hidden gems of your life that can be overlooked.

Please don’t miss all the little things. They add up to comprise much of your life and each one deserves to be held in the spotlight of gratitude.

Be grateful for all that you have and everyone you love.
Be grateful for your home and your provisions, your friends and your family, yes. But spotting and celebrating the small things will enhance your joy and create meaning in the day-to-day motions that slide through your busy hands.

We forget how extravagant, how extraordinary they really are.

Each day you wake up to find the sun shining, your heart beating, and your coffee percolating is a fresh feast of fulfillment for you to embrace.

Create an intentional focus in your perspective that seeks to find each and every small wondrous piece of this life and this world you live in and delight in every good thing, every small wonder, every day.

Oh, there is an abundance to be found when you really look for it. Please don’t take one minute of your life for granted.

Before you drift off to sleep every night, whisper “Thank you for this day,” and scan through each moment you were able to experience on that day. This takes time. This takes practice. This takes effort. And as you cultivate this way of thinking, as you begin to feel the joy emerge and the peace pours into your heart, you will realize the strengthening power of being thankful and you will understand the profound effect it has on your life.

And maybe someday, you will thank me.  

 

Similar Posts

3 Comments

  1. This is so poignant and beautiful, Christine. I’m sharing it in my positivity group. Definitely not just for teens, although what a different world we would live in if we could get them all to understand this at such a young age. With your words, there is hope for just that! Love you, sister.

    1. Oh, Mary, thank you! Your comment blesses me SO much. I know you of all people understand the richness of gratitude in our lives! I won’t stop teaching my kids about the power of gratitude- And I hope this message takes a strong grip on their hearts and grows deeper for them every day.

Comments are closed.