Day 350, December 16

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and
noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. ~Johannes A. Gaertner

Knowing that I love words, a dear cousin sent me this quote. It reminded me that gratitude, like many things, has different levels. Speaking, enacting, living. Sometimes it's hard enough to just speak words of gratitude. Have you noticed all the versions of thank-you cards that Hallmark and other card companies make available? I've wondered if we go to them when we want to say "thank you" to someone because we feel we don't have the words ourselves.

Don't get me wrong. I love beautiful cards. I love the verses that clever authors have put together to express gratitude. At the same time, however, I believe that we should not rely on someone else's words to say what is in our hearts.

Okay. We've covered speaking. Let's move on to enacting. How can we enact gratitude? Can we repay a favor by extending it to someone else in need? That is frequently the best way to show a generous giver that his or her kindness to us is appreciated and acknowledged.

Now comes the really hard part: living gratitude. That is where we show the Father that we appreciate His constant care, His constant watchfulness, His constant love. That is where it is easy to slip, believing that an all-knowing Father understands our gratitude. And He does. But, like all of us, He likes to hear it, see it, feel it occasionally.

So, for today, I am grateful for people who speak, enact, and live gratitude.