By Heather Melton, UTO Staff Officer

I know that New Year’s resolutions come with a lot of opinions: Some people love them; others hate them. I tend to really like them and often find that the promise of a fresh start with a new year is a wonderful gift to evaluate an area of my life where I would like to do better. To be honest, I’ve not really had a resolution since the pandemic started, but I’ve decided it is time to return to the practice, and I want to share with you what my resolution is for 2024 in case you want to join me in it.

In 2024, my resolution is to be more present through gratitude. I need to be honest, this wasn’t my own idea. In 2023, when the formation and development committee began to discuss what the focus for our 2024 Lenten materials should be, they decided to focus on 40 days of grateful presence. I asked them to send me their ideas of things we do daily or weekly that we might not notice but perhaps should. The list I got back, which was well over the number of days of Lent, was really eye-opening for me. Very few items on the list were things I had ever really stopped to consider and give thanks for. 

I realized I’m really good at being grateful for things, presents, people, and help, but I take a lot of routine things for granted. For example, as I write this, I can hear the recycling truck coming to pick up bins from my neighborhood. Before this conversation with the committee, I would have ignored the sound or simply gotten up to bring the bin inside. Now I think about the people I’ve never met who are in that truck who show up every day for their job that makes my life easier. I’m grateful for them even though I don’t know them, and for the folks that figured out recycling, and the people who make products with recycled goods. A simple noise, and yet so much to be thankful for in it. 

Why is this important? For me, this moment of noticing and thinking about connections to this weekly occurrence helps connect me to others whom I may never meet and reminds me that we all need each other. To me, being a part of the beloved community means that we are all necessary and valued for the ways we contribute to the community and for simply being a part of it; and gratitude is a way we can honor each other and our connections.

There’s a quote someone shared on the committee: “Whatever you think about and give thanks about, you’ll be about.” I’m not sure where this quote is from, but I think it is a really important sentiment. I realized I often give thanks for things that directly impact me—rain in the desert, a present, time with family, and so on—but that I want to live a life of being present, not just looking at my phone or being busy, but being present to the world around me more. So that’s what I’m thinking and giving thanks for this year so I can be more present to the world around me. 

If this sounds of interest to you, I hope you’ll join me. All our Lenten materials, from daily text messages to weekly prayers, are focused on being more fully present and grateful. I’m especially excited for our Lenten Book Club selection, “Thanks A Thousand,” in which the author tries to thank everyone who contributes to his cup of coffee. I hope it will inspire thoughts of all the effort that goes into many of the mundane but necessary tasks of our daily lives. If you’re interested in joining me in this adventure, you can find out more about our Lenten offerings in this newsletter or at unitedthankoffering.com/lent. To my fellow UTO members, thanks for being on the journey of gratitude with me. I am really grateful for each of you and the good you put out into the world each time you notice and give thanks for the blessings of your life as a part of this amazing ministry of gratitude and granting.