Dear students,
I want to start by saying that you are in my thoughts daily. I hope that you are finding ways to care for your spirit during this trying time, whether through meditation, cooking, walking, singing, or some other way that works well for you.
I recently realized that I haven’t been as consistent with my daily gratitude practice, which has been an important foundation for my faith in the past decade. I’ve recommitted to this practice this week. While I think it is particularly crucial in these days to give ourselves grace, I also know that I feel more grounded when I’m engaged in gratitude.
This gratitude practice includes a daily exchange of an email with a different friend, following a few prompts. Originally it was simply a way to stay connected to various friends around the globe, and although that continues to be important, my understanding of the practice has evolved. It is powerful for my mental health in times of particular challenges to choose to name something that brings up gratitude for me, no matter how small. It took me a while, but I have come to understand this as a religious practice, a type of prayer.
Earlier this week I had a thought-provoking conversation with some of you about communication with the Divine. I’ve continued mulling over parts of the conversation in the few days since, and I think that’s why particular lines in the lectionary for this coming Sunday jumped out at me.
The lectionary includes Psalm 66, but it is the last two verses that I want to highlight. “But God did listen, and heeded the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or stopped loving me!”
I’m not certain exactly what it means to me to have God listen to my prayer or to my gratitude practice. But since that recent conversation, I have realized that I am confident that I am loved, that my gratitude is not rejected, and that my voice is heard. Thanks be to God.
Hannah Campbell Gustafson ’09
Associate Chaplain for Christian and Interfaith Life
May 14, 2020