Rivertown Gratefulness Gatherings
Living gratefully today, I give thanks for warm boots, good winter driving skills, and the safety features of our vehicles. Yesterday morning’s commute in some light snow reminded me to slow down and pay attention. Good advice for driving and for the other hours of the day.
In the fall of 2018, I signed up for a new opportunity through the online network Grateful Living. (Formerly A Network for Grateful Living). The team there was looking for people interested in a new adventure—hosting Gratefulness Gatherings in their local communities. Between numerous emails, a couple of webinars, and resources provided on their website hub, I got busy. And I got excited about this potential.
I had been sharing my gratefulness and living gratefully practices with others in many ways, particularly my regular blog posts on “Habitual Gratitude.” I had friends and family members who I sometimes shared practices like A-Z gratitude lists with, and many to whom I had written letters and notes of appreciation. I had been incorporating it at work, with both students and colleagues. I was talking about living gratefully and writing about it, but this presented a new opportunity to reach more people. Gratitude shared is gratitude multiplied.
I set out to find a location, do some advertising and marketing, create a Facebook page, and more. I told myself to keep expectations low, but I was hoping to reach more people in my community and have a growing group. I named this local group Rivertown Gratefulness Gatherings, to honor the Mississippi and Vermillion Rivers which flow here.
We began in January 2019, and it has been a worthwhile experience every month since. I enjoyed preparing resources and finding items to share or give away at the monthly gatherings. We typically had 8-12 people at gatherings, with some smaller and some bigger. I was thrilled when new people showed up.
We were into our second year when COVID hit. I cancelled the March 2020 gathering and wasn’t sure what to do. April came and went. By May, I decided to move the RGG to online Zoom. What we lost by not being together in person, we have gained by being able to bring together people from other states and across several time zones. We have even had international visitors. Now our monthly Zooms average 8-10 participants. We have learned how to make an online space a pleasant and trusting place to share.
Our gatherings are an hour in length. We often do some writing, watch wonderful Green Renaissance videos, share a short meditation time, read a poem, and have small group discussions. No two gatherings are alike. The resources provided by Grateful Living are rich and relevant. The monthly themes always inspire deeper meaning and sharing among us.
Consider joining us for our next RGG, tomorrow evening, November 16, at 6:30 p.m. CST. This month’s theme is “Cultivating the Sacred.” Details are here. We would love to see you there!
In the meantime, pause and look around. What is something around you in this present moment that you hold sacred? Think about it. Write about it. Pray to it. Feel the sacred. It’s a good start.
