By Heather Melton, UTO Staff Officer
For those of you who have met me, you know that fall is my favorite season. It is filled with so many things that I love and am thankful for. From cooler air to crunchy leaves, you can’t go wrong with fall. My family joins me in this love of all things fall and the traditions that mark the season; from apple picking in September to pumpkin patches in October and Thanksgiving in November, it is three months of activity, joy, and gratitude.
Our love of fall has guided the materials we’ve created for families, children (and faith formation groups), and individuals. This year, our fall materials focus on big areas we’re all likely engaging with in the fall: nature, community, home, others, and ourselves. The goal is to not make gratitude one more thing to do each day, but to have gratitude become a reflex…a natural response to something good happening. (You can read more about the November gratitude materials later in this newsletter, but here’s a link to the all new materials for 2023.)
I think many of us were taught “please” and “thank you” as children with the intention that it become a reflex; however, these were often tied to recognizing the help and support of others. I think one of the differences between that exercise and developing a personal spiritual discipline of gratitude, like UTO promotes, is learning how to say thank you with an increased regularity.
For me, this often looks like peeking out my window before sitting down at my desk and turning my computer on to see the sunrise behind the mountains. I take a deep breath and say thank you. It might sound a bit silly, but that brief moment of gratitude allows me to begin my day connected to nature and God; it sets the tone.
As I close my eyes at night, I give thanks for three things that went well that day. Sometimes it is as simple as being thankful I made it through the day, for coffee, and for my family; other times it is more profound, like giving thanks for the amazing group of families at the bus stop each morning. I know that when I do this, I sleep better (my Fitbit tracks it) than when I forget or go to be exhausted and grumpy. I think this is why scientists have spent so much time investigating the link between gratitude and wellbeing—there is a noticeable shift when one commits to practicing gratitude.
What if this fall we all found a new gratitude practice to commit to? Maybe you’ll pick up our November materials to use (just a note: the 30-day materials can be used at any time and are not tied to Thanksgiving), either the simple ones or the deep-dive journals. Maybe you’ll decide to intentionally practice gratitude during a part of your day that could use a positive tone (sitting in traffic maybe?), or maybe you’ll just say thank you at the beginning and end of each day. Whatever you choose, I hope that it helps you to stay present to the joy that is fall…crisp air, crunchy leaves, cinnamon, pumpkins, apples, or whatever brings you joy and gratitude in the midst of work, hectic schedules, and busy days.