By Andrea Hipwell
Senior Director of Adult Programs
At Wellspring Living, gratitude is something we try to live out every day, through the work we do, the people we serve, and the community that surrounds us. As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, we’re reminded that gratitude can look different for each of us. Sometimes it’s a joyful celebration; other times it’s a quiet act of noticing the good in the midst of hard things. This month, we’re reflecting honestly on what it means to practice gratitude, even when it doesn’t come easily.
November is the month of gratitude! Of celebration and Thanksgiving, right? I’ve been trying to write about gratitude, but if I’m being honest, it’s not coming easily right now. I know, deep down, that I have SO MUCH to be thankful for. I have people who care about me, a roof over my head, a job I love, food in my stomach, a dog that adores me and thinks I hung the moon, and moments of peace that I don’t take for granted. I have a God who sees me and knows me and died for me so that I might experience freedom! But emotionally, gratitude feels just out of reach, like something I’m supposed to feel but can’t quite touch. So many of the people we serve are going without a lot of the things I often take for granted. So how can I practice gratitude when things don’t seem fair around me?
I think sometimes we talk about gratitude like it’s a switch we can flip: Just focus on the good! But real life isn’t that neat. There are days when exhaustion, grief, stress, or loneliness dull the brightness of all the good things around us. When it feels like no matter what I, what WE do, it just might never be quite enough. It doesn’t mean we’re ungrateful, it just means we’re human. And that is ok.
So today, instead of forcing myself to feel thankful, I’m trying to notice the small things. The first sip of coffee that’s actually hot. Stepping into each of our program spaces that our fantastic volunteers have beautifully decorated. When one of the Participants passes her GED test, when another Participant lands the job she has worked so hard for, when another family secures safe and affordable housing. The quiet moments between the noise. None of it feels grand or profound, but it’s real. And maybe that’s enough.
I’m realizing gratitude doesn’t have to erase the hard stuff. It can sit beside it. I can be tired and still notice something good. I can be unsure about the future and still appreciate a moment of calm. Gratitude, I’m learning, isn’t always a flood of joy. Sometimes it’s just a faint pulse reminding me that I’m still here, still trying.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we’re reminded to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.” I used to think that meant I had to feel grateful all the time. But maybe it’s less about the feeling and more about the practice, the quiet choice to keep noticing, even when it’s hard, and to pray continually no matter what! Gratitude doesn’t deny our pain; it just invites light into it.
What are one or two small things, no matter how ordinary, that you can simply notice today? Not out of obligation, but as a gentle act of care for yourself.