“Thank you” is the best prayer anyone can say.

— Alice Walker

Gratitude is often talked about as something touchy-feely or superfluous. Sometimes it is suggested that gratitude is inappropriate in a world where so much is wrong and that feeing grateful is an obstacle to change. But gratitude can exist alongside an awareness of wrong and a desire for change. We can celebrate our wins while also grieving our losses and determining to help make things better. Gratitude is healing too. It eases pain and grief, helping to renew us and make us stronger for the next struggle. Remember:

You are alive.

The earth is here.

You are loved.

There is still beauty.

— John Halstead