Tuesday, March 4, 2008

The Art of Gratitude and 4-H

What is gratitude? The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as a noun meaning the state of being grateful; thankfulness.

This is a most basic definition, but gratitude is so much more, don’t you think?

Gratitude is taking the time to reflect upon your blessings, appreciate what you already have, give to others without expectations, and notice the small things that make the world a beautiful place.

The 4-H program values gratitude. A basic tenet is that 4-H members thank the many volunteers and contributors that make the program a success

Without volunteers, we would have no project leaders willingly sharing knowledge. There would be no superintendents spending hours and hours making sure activities and functions happen. There would be no sponsors providing financial assistance so that 4-H members receive belt buckles, trophies, and monetary awards.

In short, 4-H volunteers and contributors are our blessings.

Have you thanked them? Did you send each and every sponsor a formal thank you note after last year’s fair? Do you tell your leaders thank you at meetings?

How do you show your gratitude in the 4-H Program?

Your blog host,

Melody

“In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy.” Albert Clarke

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for reminding us. I do not say thank you enough to the leaders and the 4-H staff for all the work everyone does making our kids better. THANK YOU 4-H STAFF, LEADERS, PARENTS AND KIDS!!!