Even in troubled times, much to be thankful for

Pick up a paper or tune in to the news lately, and you'd be forgiven for thinking that the world is falling apart.

Global terrorism. Senseless killings. Political gridlock. Neighborhood violence. Anger and disagreement about the direction of this country. Fear about the future. Persistent, even worsening, social issues and inequalities. In the midst of all the trouble and turmoil, it can seem impossible, even irresponsible, to be grateful.

But pausing today to give thanks for what's working - in our lives, our families, our communities, our nation and the world - is more than proper. It is necessary.

Because it is thankfulness and gratitude that help us muster the energy to keep working to make this flawed and often frustrating world a better version of itself.

Gratitude is not about ignoring or dismissing the problems we face, or our disagreements about how to face them. It isn't about settling for the way things are instead of working to make things better. It's about taking a full accounting of the many factors in our favor: Loving friends and families. Neighbors passionate about our communities. Leaders and doers and healers and nurturers and explorers of all stripes and in every domain.

Gratitude can be simple - thanks for a job that pays the bills, a car that works, a grandchild's kiss, a stranger who extends a helping hand - but it can never be silly. Because it's gratitude that helps give us the resilience we need to overcome obstacles and move forward.

The best among us understand the importance of maintaining a capacity for gratitude. Even when things are at their worst, in moments of pain and the unfathomable, we must find ways to continue to appreciate the larger journey, the bigger picture, and give thanks.

So, let us resolve to be grateful today and every day for kind gestures and words.

Let us cherish feelings of neighborliness, of love, of solidarity. Let us give thanks for the possibility of future progress and the people who join us in the work. Let us appreciate those people who dream big and inspire us to greatness. Let us never forget, even as we worry and argue and focus our attention on the many deficiencies in our lives, our communities and our world, there still is so much bounty.

So much beauty. So much kindness. So much resolve. So much to build on, to look forward to.

So much for us to be grateful for.

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