GRATITUDE GOES BEYOND THANKSGIVING BY DR. BRIDGET KING
Gratitude goes beyond Thanksgiving! During the month of November, we often are encouraged to express what we are thankful for in our lives. You hear phrases like be thankful, show gratitude, have an attitude of gratitude. But gratitude is not something seasonal, nor should it be something we stumble upon or demonstrate out of a sense of duty. Once again let's make sure we define the terms we so glibly throw around. M e r r i a m - W e b s t e r ” s d e f i n i t i o n o f T h a n k f u l: conscious of benefit received, expressive of thanks, well pleased. Grateful: appreciative of benefits received, affording pleasure or contentment, pleasing by reason of comfort supplied or discomfort alleviated.
Dr King spent her formative years in Chicago, Illinois. Upon graduation from high school she attended a small liberal arts college in Bloomington, Illinois graduating with BA in Biology in 1983. Dr King subsequently matriculated from The University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine in 1987 with a Medical Degree. With the desire to pursue primary care she completed Family Medicine residency in 1990, practicing family medicine initially with a HMO. Finding her niche in education she joined the faculty at Akron General Family Medicine residency; during her tenure she held a faculty position at NEOUCOM,COM, and served as Interim Director of the Family Medicine Residency and obtained her MS Ed. After working in medical education for ten years, Dr King decided to work in public health with the desire to have a greater impact on the health of the community. She has worked in FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Centers) both as a staff physician and Clinical Medical Director. Upon retiring she now volunteers at Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry medical ministry and teaches western physical exam skills at Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts.
G r a t i t u d e: t h e s t a t e o f b e i n g g r a t e f u l , a feeling of appreciation. Our Creator was once again a marvelous designer and engineer. All cultures and religions encourage embracing gratitude. Gratitude is present regardless of and irrelevant to an outcome or promise of an outcome, whereas gratefulness is tied to and requires an event or object. Neuroscience has shown that gratitude has seven benefits: opens the door to more relationships, improves physical health, improves psychological health, improves selfesteem, enhances empathy and reduces aggression. Grateful people sleep better.
Circumstances for which we should give God thanks: For what He has done, things we have made it through because of God's providence. For what He is doing, things we are overcoming because of God's presence in our lives. For what God is going to do, things we are destined to do because of God's promises in His word to us individually and to mankind in general. THE CONNECTION MAGAZINE
—M a r k G i b b s , P a r a k l e s i s M i n i s t r i e s .
