Photo Prayer 2022-17 -- Give Thanks One Hundred Times A Day
Giving thanks is a cure for depression. So claims my friend. At one time in her life she became so severely depressed she was institutionalized. Then she took up the practice, every day, of giving thanks for one hundred things, listing them. No gratitude was too small or too large. If she was thankful for air or light or sound or quiet or water or food or just being alive, each was added to her gratitude list. In this way, giving thanks became a habit. She began looking forward to what was next, wondering what new pleasing thing was about to enter her life.
Am I simplifying her slow cure? Am I ignoring the many people and other practices that helped? Of course! But this one practice appeals to me, me a sunny Polyanna. If anything, I am too often unreasonably optimistic and cheerful. What’s the opposite of deep depression? Is there a clinical name for it? Pathological Euphoria? Acute Polyannism? I certainly would not want to fall into that debilitating mindset. Even so, I think I will take the risk, just for one day, of giving thanks for one hundred things. Hopefully it will not put me over the edge. But when? What day? Let me pull up my calendar. Look at that! As it turns out, next Thursday is a day called Thanksgiving. What a coincidence! Thank God for coincidences!
Photo of a cornucopia on the altar at the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew,
Wilmington, Delaware, an arrangement by Flowers by Tino.
Photo and text copyright 2022 by Danny N. Schweers.
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Comments
Cookie wrote:
Beautiful picture! I am thankful I have a 100 things to be thankful for. 😀
Craig wrote:
A good reminder, Danny. We try to remember to say grace every breakfast, to start off the day. But why only breakfast? Why not when washing the dishes afterwards? Scraping food into the trash can....? Feeling that first bite of winter cold….. I think Alan Greenspan called it "irrational exuberance". If you're going to be irrational about something, I think that would be a great choice…. [DANNY REPLIED: “Irrational exuberance”! I had forgotten that economic jargon from the Federal Reserve applied to overheated economies.]
Martha wrote:
Thank you Danny! On the subject of gratitude… I read this the other day from that wonderful resource, Salt Project, a poem by Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Sexton… https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2022/11/14/welcome-morning-by-anne-sexton
Kerry wrote:
Love love love!
Bill wrote:
Great essay. Thanks. What are the words in the photo of the cornucopia on an altar? I can make out all but the third one from the left on the top? [DANNY REPLIED: “He first findeth his own brother Simon and he brought him to Jesus.“ This text is taken from the first chapter of the Gospel of John. It refers to Andrew who, after first meeting Jesus, brought his brother, Simon Peter, to meet him as well.]
Linda wrote:
Dear Danny, Bless you for this absolutely beautiful photo prayer!
Dotte wrote:
Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving. “The grateful heart sees every day as a gift.” —Max Lucado
Bernadette wrote:
LOVE THIS, Danny! I will give it a try too!
Hugh wrote:
Thanks is kindness and kindness sustains life.
Anne wrote:
I give thanks for you and your caring heart Danny ...and apples, flowers, coffee, family, friends and falling leaves.
Marti wrote:
Thanks, Danny! The cornucopia of many colors is beautiful and am grateful for your message!
Nicole wrote:
Beautiful. Happy Thanksgiving, Danny.
Ellen wrote:
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❣️