In our Presbyterian churches, Thanksgiving not only is a transition toward Advent and Christmas but also can be an opportunity to find new ways to share thanks and gratitude.

While the school children of the church learn about the first harvest feast of the Pilgrims and Native Americans, we can learn new ways to bring joy and thankfulness to the lives of family, friends and community.

Christopher Oveis, an associate professor at the University of California San Diego, researched gratitude and found that expressing it doesn’t just make other people feel good. It also can strengthen relationships, reduce stress and help you perform better under pressure.

“Gratitude is powerful because it benefits everyone involved — the person who expresses it, the person who receives it, and even those who witness it,” said Oveis, who studies the biological and social effects of positive emotions and was quoted in the UC San Diego Today website. “When you feel it, say it. Let the gratitude out.”

Need some ideas?

With social media, you can start with “Gratitude Postings” where you share some of the things you are thankful for – a healthy family, a vibrant faith community, the high school football team’s winning record, or that you’ll have your children home from college or jobs to celebrate Thanksgiving around the family table.

This is different from sharing your recent vacation photos or the new car you just financed. This entails once a week or so simply sharing things that bring you joy. Include friendships, include your church connection, include your hobbies.

While it’s a great way to reach out into the community, you might be surprised at how it makes you feel better, too – a reminder of things we sometimes take for granted.

Along the same lines: Write a thank-you note or email to someone and let them know how they have positively impacted your life or helped you in some great or small way. I encourage recent high school and college graduates to write a note to a teacher who made a difference along the way – the teachers know they help, but trust me, seeing it in writing from a former student helps make up for all the bureaucracy and headaches they deal with. It can be the same with a career mentor, or a friend who helped steer you to a better path.

Maybe put a note on your calendar to do this once a month and see how it opens your heart.

If you aren’t confident enough yet to express those feelings to friends and others, consider writing a personal gratitude journal, for your eyes only. In your quiet time, write a few lines about what you are thankful for that day or week, and the good feelings you found. Reading back over your past entries can remind you of all the blessings in your life.

These don’t have to be life-altering, “I hit the lottery” kind of blessings. It can be that you sat in the sun for 30 minutes and felt the warm peace of nature and God. It can be that you cooked a special meal for yourself or your family – or they cooked for you. Think of the smell of fresh-baked bread or an apple pie coming out of the oven – those are blessings indeed.

Other ideas, some big, some small, for the Thanksgiving season:

• Jot a short note of gratitude and include it in the offering plate – “I am thankful for my church family that embraces me” or “I am glad I had a good week of doctors’ appointments…”
• As a church, start a Thanksgiving tradition. It can be to plant a tree on the church campus or at a nearby park; or with local permission, to replace the basketball nets at a public court; or start or expand your community food pantry through a canned goods drive
• Consider a Thanksgiving church service focused on congregation singing and prayers of gratitude – this can be a member-participation service to usher in Advent.