Impact Detroit Magazine Impact Detroit Magazine 2013 | Page 42

Public Display of Gratitude
By Carolyn Gray from Spring, Texas

At the end of each year so many of us make
New Year’s resolutions and by the end of
January, those resolutions often fall by the
wayside. As I prepared for the current year, I
reflected on people who have helped me to
become the person I am today. I thank God
for allowing me to be in the presence of those
who were positive as well as the not so
positive influences. I pondered how to
acknowledge them.

aggressive undertaking; I agreed with her and
asked her to hold me accountable!

This process allowed me to think about the
contributions my spouse, parents, siblings, my
children, my grandson, other young people,
friends, teachers, ministers, supervisors, coworkers, and familiar strangers have made in
my life.
Before writing my first public
display of gratitude (PDG), I experienced
overwhelming euphoria remembering the
I thought about starting a gratitude journal and large and small things others have shared with
I quickly decided against that idea because I me.
was concerned that I would not follow
through. (That idea would have been like most As I reflected, I realized I have numerous
resolutions.) My next thought was that I PDG about positive influences because I
could do a gratitude post on Facebook. That’s choose to focus on the positive. However, I
it! Since I was in the habit of sending birthday could not discount or rule out the not so
wishes on Facebook to my connections, I positive interactions because they helped me
decided to write a short gratitude post before too as I believe that all things work together
saying “Happy Birthday” to my Facebook for good to them who are the called according
connections. I committed to this with my to his purpose.
whole heart.
I took the PDG on Facebook a step farther -- I
To start my list, I drew a line down several decided to send a short handwritten thank you
pages in a spiral notebook and entered the note to everyone I have an address for.
numbers 1 through 365. My idea was to Reflecting on the contributions, guidance,
express my gratitude to 365 people who have comforting words and acts of kindness by so
influenced my life. As I entered names, I many people made my heart merry.
smiled, laughed out loud, cried and yes, had
some unhappy thoughts as I reflected on the To my surprise, lots of people read the PDG
years of my blessed life. I was cautioned by a post and comment on them. Some who read
former co-worker that this was a very them are reminded of similar memories and
some find them amusing.