Gratitude is an important spiritual discipline— especially during challenging times. It reminds us to slow down and notice the blessings in our lives.
This November, we invite you to join us for 30 days of giving thanks! Daily prompts will be posted to Facebook and Instagram to inspire your journaling, prayer, meditation, doodling or photography. If you don’t use social media, you can also view the prompts right here on this page!
There is no right or wrong way to participate. You should feel free to consider each day’s prompt in whatever way you’d like. If you’re looking for inspiration, though, consider the following:
– A journal where each entry opens with, “today I am grateful for…” and closes in a prayer of gratitude
– A post on Instagram or Facebook with an image of what you’re grateful for and the hashtag #PCWSgivesthanks
– A sketch or doodle of your response to the prompt
– A moment of quiet, grateful prayer each morning while you drink your coffee or tea
– A scrapbook of collected images or artifacts related to the prompt
– A family discussion of the daily prompt around the dinner table and prayer of gratitude after eating
30 days of Giving Thanks can take many forms. We’re excited to go on this journey with you and multiply our thanksgivings along the way.
Please reach out to Lottie (lottie@presbyws.org) or Erik (erik@presbyws.org) with any questions.
Starting November 1st, join us for 30 days of gratitude! Each day this month use the prompt to inspire a journal entry, creative meditation, doodle or photograph. If you’d like to share on social media, use the hashtag #PCWSgivesthanks.
If you’d like to see everyone’s posts, click here: https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/pcwsgivesthanks
November 1st, 30 Days of Giving Thanks Day #1: Today is All Saints Day so we are giving thanks for those who came before us. Who came before you? Who paved the way for you? Who are the saints in your life? Use this prompt to inspire a journal entry, creative meditation, doodle or photograph. If you’d like to share on social media, use the hashtag #PCWSgivesthanks.
November 2nd: Today we give thanks for our 4-legged friends. They enrich our lives and teach us about unconditional love. How have animals or pets touched your life? What have you learned from them? What do they teach you about God and God’s love? Use this prompt to inspire a journal entry, creative meditation, doodle or photograph.
November 3rd: Today we give thanks for the places we call home. What does home mean to you? Is it a particular place? Is it a gathering of people? What memories do you have of your childhood home? How do we care for people without safe and stable homes? Use this prompt to inspire a journal entry, creative meditation, doodle or photograph.
November 4th: Today we give thanks for the peaceful places in our lives. Where do you feel peace? What about this place makes it peaceful? Is this peaceful place hard to find or can you go there every day? Use this prompt to inspire a journal entry, creative meditation, doodle or photograph.
November 5th: Today we give thanks for people we miss. Who do you miss? What does this person mean to you? If they were with you now, how would you thank them? Use this prompt to inspire a journal entry, creative meditation, doodle or photograph.
November 6th: Today we give thanks food— good food in particular. What is the best meal you’ve ever eaten? Do you have a favorite recipe? What does food teach us about God? What does Jesus teach us about food? Use this prompt to inspire a journal entry, creative meditation, doodle or photograph.
November 7th: Today we give for the beauty in our world. What beauty have you seen today? What made you notice it? Is it something you see everyday? What is the relationship between slowing down and noticing beauty? Use this prompt to inspire a journal entry, creative meditation, doodle or photograph.
November 8th: Today we give thanks for the gift of belonging. What does belonging mean to you? Where are some places you’ve felt belonging? How have these places impacted your life?
November 9th: Today we give thanks for unexpected blessings. Have you experienced one today? You can also reflect on an unexpected blessing in your past. What was it like to receive this gift? What do the “ripples” of this blessing look like in your life?
November 10th: Today we give thanks for the presence of God. Just in the last 24 hours, where have you seen God? Where have you felt God’s presence? Can you think of a time when you were overwhelmed by God’s presence? What was that like?
November 11th: Today we give thanks for newness. In Isaiah 43:19, God says, “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”. What does “newness” look like in your life? Consider major examples (fresh starts, new beginnings…) and minor examples (the seasons changing, your morning routine…). Where is God in all this?
November 12th: As the saying goes, “no man (woman, person) is an island”. Our lives have been impacted by many people. Who has made an impact on your life? How did they make you feel? How would your life be different if you had never met this person?
November 13th: Today we give thanks for the gift of simplicity. What does simplicity look like in this season of your life? When is simplicity easy? When is it hard?
November 14th: Today we give thanks for friendship. Consider your friends— Who are they? What makes them wonderful? How have your friendships changed and evolved over time? What does friendship look like for you during COVID times?
November 15th: God is with us always, but many of us have particular places in our lives where we feel more closely connected with God. What is that place for you? What about it makes God feel especially near?
November 16th: Today we give thanks for the gift of nature. What is the most beautiful natural wonder you’ve seen? How do you interact with nature on a daily basis? Thinking of the five senses, how does it feel for you to be outside in nature?
November 17th: Today we give thanks our self-care practices. Knowing that you are beloved and made in God’s image, how do you do to show yourself care? Is self-care easy for you? Is it challenging? Why?
November 18th: Today we give thanks for music and poetry. Do you have a favorite song or poem? Why is it meaningful?
November 19th: Today we give thanks for tradition. As Thanksgiving and Advent approach, consider your most cherished traditions. What do they mean to you? Do you have a favorite tradition from childhood? How do traditions mark the passage of time in your life?
November 20th: Today we consider to the little joys in our lives. Try to think of the smallest thing that has brought you joy recently. Perhaps it’s something as small as a passing smile, a beam of sunshine, or a song on the radio. What small joy are you thankful for today?
November 21st: Today we give thanks for moments of quiet, rest, or Sabbath. On the seventh day of creation, God rested. Mirroring God’s rest, the Fourth Commandment reads, “Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy…” (Exodus 20:8). Many of our Jewish and Christian neighbors keep Sabbath on Saturdays. Do you keep Sabbath? What does rest look like in your life? What does Sabbath teach us about God? What does it teach us about ourselves?
November 22nd: Today we give thanks for the gift of grace. How do you define grace? How does grace shape your life? What images or memories come to mind when you think of grace?
November 23rd: Today we give thanks for books! What is your favorite book? Why?
November 24th: Consider the mundane and everyday stuff of life. Write (and pray!) a prayer of thanksgiving for the everyday things… for toothbrushes, silverware, sneakers and pencils. Is it easy to notice and express gratitude for these little things? Why do we tend to pass these things by?
November 25th: Today we give thanks for the gift of family. What does family mean to you? How do you express gratitude for your family?
November 26th: Happy Thanksgiving! Today we give thanks for the gift of togetherness. What does togetherness look like for you this Thanksgiving? How is it different from past Thanksgivings?
November 27th: Today we give thanks for the gift of love. How do you define love? Where are some places you’ve felt love? How do you show love to others?
November 28th: Today we give thanks for acts of service. Have you ever been the recipient of an act of service? How did that feel? Consider a time when you served another person. What was that like? What does being served/serving teach us about God?
November 29th: Happy 1st Sunday of Advent! Today we give thanks for the gift of hope. In Advent, we consider particularly our hope in Christ. How does this hope shape your life? What does it mean for you to hope in Christ— especially this year?! What images come to mind when you think of hope?
November 30th: Today we give thanks for abundance. Some people talk about abundance as an outlook on life. They spend time each day “on the lookout” for God’s abundance and they construct their lives with the belief that there is more than enough to go around. Where do you see God’s abundance today? When did you receive God’s abundance today? What would it look like to live & give abundantly? …To shower others with your love, your time, your grace? How is trust related to living & giving abundantly?