c. 2007 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) I think every day should be Thanksgiving Day. Not so much for the turkey and the pumpkin pie, but for the very sane response to life Thanksgiving Day proclaims.

When Abraham Lincoln invited all his “fellow citizens … to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November,” it was for “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

Bet he couldn’t get away with that today. American society is so sanitized of religious talk that even the nondenominational standard-issue God is questionable, accused of some sectarian funny business behind the clouds of heaven. These days, God is somehow to blame for every excess committed in his name by his followers.

But let’s give God a break. And recognize how healthy it is to live in gratitude to God.

Even science tends to agree. The new “positive psychology” emanating from the University of Pennsylvania gives scientific proof that saying “thank you” leads to happiness. Martin Seligman, the poster-professor for positive psychology, says he was an old grump until he realized that more is right than wrong in life, and it’s a good thing to acknowledge it.

Positive psychology is a serious and detailed subject _ perhaps more than I can encapsulate here _ but one simple practice is available to everyone. It is called “Three Blessings Exercise.”

Here’s how it works: Every night, list three things that went well that day, or three things for which you are grateful, or three things, perhaps, that made you smile or helped you learn that you are succeeding in the project of your life.

They can be anything:

The smell of coffee in the morning.

The smile from the bus driver.

An unexpected phone call or letter.

The ability (and money) to pay your bills on time.

Perhaps there was a compliment from the boss or a co-worker.

I challenge you to find a day in which there are not three positive things _ events, memories, or even recognitions of your own strengths and gifts _ for which you can express gratitude.

The psychologists don’t exactly say “gratitude to whom?”, but the answer is inescapable.

It’s fascinating how much positive psychology echoes the writings of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, who affirmatively directs our hearts and minds to God.

One of Ignatius’ basic exercises is the prayer called the “Examen,” where you express your gratitude _ to God. You recognize your gifts _ as gifts of God. You see the good things that happened _ as gifts of God. You look carefully at where you denied God’s gifts, and if you notice some mistakes you speak directly from your heart to God. The basic movement of the “Examen” is deep and heartfelt gratitude to God for each and every thing that happened, for each and every breath.

Life is, Ignatius recognized and taught, a pure gift of God. He and the positive psychologists agree: Nothing is saner, nothing is healthier, than expressing gratitude.

Thanksgiving Day reminds us to keep saying “thank you,” and we cannot allow ourselves to forget to whom we owe such thanks. As Lincoln said, “To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.”

Happy Thanksgiving.

(Phyllis Zagano is senior research associate-in-residence at Hofstra University and author of several books in Catholic Studies.)

KRE DS END ZAGANO600 words

A photo of Phyllis Zagano is available via https://religionnews.com.