Rivertown Gratefulness Gatherings

Today I am grateful for the chorus of birds that greet me in the mornings now, and the changing colors of the sky as dawn approaches. Nature is a consistent source of awe and gratitude for me, regardless of what of the season or the weather. I sure appreciated the gorgeous early spring day we were treated to yesterday.

In the fall of 2018, folks at A Network for Grateful Living were looking for people interested in hosting local gratefulness gatherings. I saw it as a great opportunity and joined the effort. The first gatherings launched in January 2019. It was a learning curve for me to find a location in my community, do some radio and newspaper advertising, decide on an approach and get necessary materials. I enjoyed each step, even if I ran into a little frustration. Complacency is dangerous in my life, and pursuing gratefulness gatherings is insurance against this complacency.

I also believe with my whole heart that gratitude shared is gratitude multiplied and that each person I converse with about living gratefully leaves me with more to reflect on and appreciate about the generative power of gratefulness.

A Network for Grateful Living has provided support and wonderful resources from the beginning. There are now dozens of gatherings around the country and world each month. As with many of my pursuits, I so appreciate the support of family and friends already in my life. Yet, a sign of success for me is when new people inquire or show up, whether it be as a blog commenter or a participant at a monthly meeting. Some of that has happened with RGGs and I truly appreciate that.

When the pandemic threw us all a curve ball in March 2020, I cancelled that month’s and then April’s gatherings, but by then realized a new opportunity was emerging. We transitioned to Zoom in May 2020 and have been on this format ever since. The wonderful thing about that is family and friends who couldn’t join in person do regularly join on Zoom. We typically have four or five states represented in the 8-10 people we average each month.

I do miss aspects of in-person gatherings, but they are outweighed by the connections and discussions that happen across the miles. I often use a meditation or reflection practice to begin our time together, and it is surprising how effective that is in bringing us together in a unique shared space.

Read more about the gatherings here. Here is information on our upcoming April 21 meeting. Hope you can join us!

The next Rivertown Gratefulness Gathering is Thursday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m. CST via Zoom. This month's theme is "Cultivating Peace in Ourselves and the World."

Consider: In the face of war and other forms of loss and grief, how can gratefulness make a difference? How might one's individual practice of grateful living contribute to a much-needed peace--both within ourselves and the world around us."

All are welcome to the RGG and they are free! Invite a friend! Here is the Zoom link.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88208135055

Meeting ID: 882 0813 505