Posts Tagged ‘Cultivate wonder’

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Read by Br. Curtis Almquist, SSJE

I Thessalonians 5:18
Luke 17:11-19

I have a memory of my 5^th-grade teacher asking us to write a short paragraph describing the things in our lives for which we were thankful.  I don’t recall any of the specifics of that assignment, but I do recall having a terrible case of “writer’s block.”  I sat for the longest time just staring at that piece of paper.  I couldn’t think of a thing for which I was thankful.

Recalling it now, it seems shocking to me that a 5^th-grade boy growing up in suburban America, with plenty of food and warm clothes and a comfortable home and a loving family, couldn’t think of anything for which he was thankful.  I was surrounded by gifts, but I didn’t recognize them as gifts, and so I couldn’t begin to express my gratitude for them.  I suppose I naively assumed that everyone had food and clothing, a loving family and a comfortable home.  I was unaware of how privileged I was to enjoy these things on a daily basis, and simply took them for granted. Read More