Children from the Foye Renmen orphanage in Haiti celebrate their first-ever visit to the ocean thanks to a surprise trip arranged by Dr. John “Bull” Durham and his wife Lisa Jobin. For more color photos, see Pages A9 and 10.
DeMiguel Elementary School first grade teacher Taryn Treadway gets a hug from two of her students Tuesday morning. Both Edie Miller, 6, left, and Jaidyn Delgado, 6, right, said that they were thankful for their teacher during a writing activity.
The sign outside the Summit Fire station on Koch Field Road thanks Chief Don Howard for a 37 year career Wednesday afternoon during his retirement party at the fire station.
A group holds a sign thanking veterans Monday morning during Memorial Day ceremonies at Citizens Cemetery in Flagstaff.
Augustine Delgadillo, 93, holds a framed letter from his younger brother Angel expressing his thanks for Augustine’s military service during World War II.
2016 FILE PHOTO: Volunteers work together on Thanksgiving morning to break down turkeys for a Thanksgiving meal at the Flagstaff Family Food Center. It takes about two dozen people working the morning to prepare the meal.
A heartfelt message to the Kayla Mueller sits on a memorial notice board last year at the Campus Ministry Center at Northern Arizona University.
Colton Dana, 13, and his mother Jody Dana thank Flagstaff Police Officer Ryan Forsman after receiving their toy donations from the Northern Arizona Law Enforcement Toy Drive Monday afternoon. (Taylor Mahoney/Arizona Daily Sun)
On Thanksgiving, local Elks Lodge 499 served free meals to area veterans to thank them and honor them for their service to our country. The JROTC was there to perform the honor guard. The members of the Lodge bought and donated the food to be cooked for Thanksgiving. In all, the Elks served 72 total meals and had 28 volunteers on hand to serve and cook the food. (Courtesy photo)
It’s only Thanksgiving Day, but for many, that can mean only one thing: the day before Black Friday.
The day after Thanksgiving — or even starting later this afternoon — can be a day of frenzied bargain-hunting. We should all try to keep the stress in check by remembering there are still 33 more shopping days until Christmas -- counting today. The old saying, “’Tis better to give than to receive” still holds, but not at the expense of a migraine and an overdrawn bank account on the very first day of the shopping season. Especially at the holidays, it’s important to keep in mind that there are many ways to discover the joy of an emotional connection with another human being, including the simple act of saying thanks.
Lately, gratitude has grown up beyond our national day of Thanksgiving. It’s the subject of its own branch of psychological research and is being studied — as well as practiced — on college campuses across the nation. Counting our blessings and expressing gratitude for them, it seems, is not only a desirable virtue, but an essential element of wholeness and well-being.
There’s even a website devoted to the movement, www.gratefulness.org. Participants from 186 countries use the site to make gratitude a more conscious daily attitude, while others are keeping gratitude journals and diaries.
Cognitive psychologists have studied the effects of expressing gratitude and found unexpected benefits, including sleeping better, feeling more connected to others and making progress toward important personal goals. There is also less illness and higher energy levels than in control groups, and the benefits can start at a very early age.
On college campuses, some professors have assigned students to search out friends and acquaintances to whom they can express gratitude, even if only for everyday kindnesses. Many report that tears come to the eyes of the recipients, so unaccustomed are we in a culture of criticism to having our strengths as human beings acknowledged and appreciated.
The result, say researchers, is greater two-way empathy that often inspires those giving thanks to perform their own act of charity that will earn them an expression of gratitude. Thinking of what you have to be grateful for helps to focus on the needs of others, not yourself.
So as we begin the shopping countdown to Christmas, let’s remember that how we receive and acknowledge our gifts can be as important as what we give. Gratitude, like giving, should come from the heart. That way, it’s priceless.
