Life is a beautiful thing – full of excitement, love, pain, and constant change. Change often brings about new opportunities for us to express ourselves, assist others, and find new avenues for us to influence the world around us for the better. Recently, my family has undergone considerable change. From my departure to college three years ago, and my sister following my lead just last year, to the unfortunate passing of loved ones, we have undergone changes that will impact us for the rest of our lives. This is not unusual for families, but it always comes with a certain amount of uncertainty, that can often be scary. However, change can be beautiful, and it is something that I am grateful for.

Throughout this time of change, I have been able to step back and look at the world around me, and more specifically, the people around me. My grandmother has moved from her home of 40+ years and is meeting new people everyday in a new town. My mother has become much more involved in family life, and plays a huge role in the lives of my sister and I, maybe even more so than when we lived together, from 300-some miles away. It has been especially fun to watch my dad change throughout these past couple of years. Recently, he has started to focus on gratitude, using it as a lens through which to examine the world around him and his experiences everyday.  Countless times, he has mentioned to me the things he is grateful for – my mother, his family, sunrises and sunsets, a good book and a cup of chai tea on a cold morning. After focusing on gratitude for some time, he had the idea to start a community centered around gratitude – a place for people to share what they are grateful for, and use it as a means for people to take a step back from our busy lives, and notice the things in life that are beautiful. Hence, begins The Gratitude Spark.

My dad started The Gratitude Spark as a way for people to connect and share things that they are grateful for. He hopes that through this focus on gratitude, people will change the way they look at the world.  To find the beauty in everyday life, rather than to focus on the pain and negative experiences many of us have. This shift in focus can be incredibly powerful. It is so exciting to see people’s perspectives change after developing a focus on gratitude.

This community is in its infant stages and it is so exciting to see how this group will progress and change as it grows. And I hope that this mindset change can change our communities for the better. If we work together, we can make our families stronger, our workplaces happier, and the lives of others better by focusing on this little thing called gratitude. So, invite your friends, family members and acquaintances to embark on this mindset change with you. Tell them about the impact of focusing on one beautiful thing everyday can have. Let’s see where this takes us!