Serve Up a Hearty Gratitude Soup This Thanksgiving

by Mary Jo Shaffer

A French Proverb says that, “Gratitude is the heart’s memory.” And I think that’s true. It is a grateful heart that stores wonderful recollections of loved ones, warm remembrances of friends, and pleasant reflections of strangers who have somehow indelibly touched our lives.

The funny thing is if you search your heart’s memory, I bet you will find that it is the little things that are most impressed there. Small gestures, loving words, helpful advice, pats on the back, pearls of wisdom, random acts of kindness are all easily recalled. So this Thanksgiving, be aware that it’s not the perfectly set and appointed table; but the radiant, beautiful faces, with all their human imperfections, quirks and peculiarities, framing your table that will make the occasion so special and so memorable.

And if you are looking for just the right accompaniment to go along with your bird this Holiday, may I suggest that you simmer up a pot of Hearty Gratitude Soup. It’s not my recipe; it has been handed down by great thinkers, philosophers and lovers of life from generation to generation, and now I am passing it along to you. Hearty Gratitude Soup Recipe First of all, you have to take action if you want to make soup advises John F. Kennedy: “As we express gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” Meister Eckhart suggests that you start with a rich stock of thanks: “If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is ‘thank you’; that would suffice.” Don’t be concerned if you can’t find your measuring cups and spoons counsels Eric Hoffer: “The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”

After you have added all of your ingredients to the pot, don’t worry that you’ve left anything out assures Epictetus: “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those he has.”

Add pinches and dashes of seasonings to taste hints Sarah Ban Breathnach: “Simple Abundance has taught me that it is in the smallest details that the flavor of life is savored.”

Allow your soup to simmer over a low flame or burner says Albert Schweitzer: “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” And William Faulkner adds: “Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.”

Garnish with flair asserts Henry Ward Beecher: “Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.”

And finally, the secret ingredient in the soup is revealed by Melody Beattie: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

But don’t forget, you must announce when the soup is ready reminds William Arthur Ward, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” And Margaret Cousins agrees: “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”

Now ladle out the rich goodness in everlasting portions and serve with love. Enjoy!