ACROSS AMERICA — In her New York Times bestseller “Why Not Me?,” actress Mindy Kaling said this about gratitude:

“Gratitude is the closest thing to beauty manifested in emotion.”
Living with gratitude goes beyond being thankful for the people and things that give us comfort. Living with gratitude doesn’t mean turning away from the bad and unpleasant things that happen to all of us, but rather savoring the goodness.
Known as the “father of gratitude,” University of California, Davis psychology professor Robert Emmons says the key to living with gratitude is recognizing that the sources of the goodness of things in our lives “are outside of ourselves” — that is, other people who “gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives.”
Here are four more inspirational quotes about gratitude:
— Melody Beattie, bestselling author of self-help books on co-dependent relationships
— Singer and songwriter Willie Nelson, in “The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart“
— Kristin Armstrong, three-time Olympic gold medalist in cycling
And finally, entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria, the co-founder of Paul Mitchell hair products and Patron tequila, wrote this of gratitude on Business Insider:
“Doesn’t matter where I’m at, which home I’m in, or what hotel room I’m visiting. The very second I wake up, I stay in bed for about five minutes and just be.
“I don’t think about my schedule, agendas, or phone calls I need to make. I simply open my eyes and let myself be completely and truly present.
“I try not to think of all the outside noise, the thoughts in my head, or the time I don’t have to do many other things.
“I do, at times, reflect on what I have in life and for what I am grateful. I also take the time to think of my family’s wellbeing.” » Read the full quote on Business Insider
Patch national writer Megan VerHelst reports:
“Thank you” is gratitude in its simplest form. But as the holidays approach, we think of those gone by and wonder: Do our kids actually understand the meaning behind those words? Do they truly realize and appreciate the good things in their lives?
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