Thank You Notes
“Gratitude is the basis of all holiness. The holiest person you know is the most grateful person you know. ”
Practice Gratitude
By Writing A "Thank You" Note
Write a note to a neighbor who cares for their home, your street, or your children.
Write a note to a civic leader, local business owner, or neighborhood school teacher.
Write a note to the postal, delivery, or waste removal worker who serves your home.
There are endless ways to express appreciation for a person or a place. Maybe the simplest practice is to write it. Write a “Thank You” note. This is the practice of a local bar.
Englewood Grand, selected by Westword as one of “The 100 Bars We Can’t Live Without”, is a neighborhood bar near South Broadway and Hampden. Shortly after they opened in 2016 the Englewood Grand began hosting “Thankful Thursdays”. The invitation was to write a note of encouragement. They would provide the stationery and postage, and serve a great cocktail.
Our friends at Sacred Grace Englewood joined the movement at the Grand to regularly write notes of gratitude. In 2020, Sacred Grace Englewood wrote over 200 notes to encourage city council members, postal workers, business owners, bar tenders, hospital personnel, police officers, and local pastors.
“It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” David Stiendl-Rast, a 96-year-old Benedictine monk, has taught on gratitude for over 40 years. His wisdom is the practice of gratitude is the way to joy, contentment, and happiness. A “Thank You” note is a first step to being grateful.
Gratitude is an act of worship and forms us in the way of Jesus. It cultivates love for your neighbor and neighborhood. It is a way to thank God for the people and place where you live. Practice geographical gratitude.
