WFWP Arkansas expresses a heart of gratitude

“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer

The WFWP Arkansas chapter chose the timely theme of gratitude for its November meeting, which took place shortly before Thanksgiving, on November 25th, 2019 at the William Laman Library in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

The event, aptly titled “The Heart of Gratitude”, was a great opportunity for us to share what we are grateful for and discuss what we believe it means to be grateful. We reflected on why it was important to be grateful for our loved ones and talked about the ways God has blessed us. At the same time, we recognized that complaint nullifies those blessings and takes away our happiness and joy.

Several of our regular WFWP members joined in the discussion, as well as several young adults and other guests who were present. Natalie Larrison of the Wisdom House Project, a humanitarian effort that WFWP Arkansas regularly supports (read more here and here), shared how grateful the children and women in Syria are for our support knowing that they are not forgotten despite the horrific things going on where they live.

Another idea shared was that gratitude means we need to appreciate others, that we are grateful for those in our lives who mean so much to us, and that we should never take anyone for granted. This includes our loved ones, our friends, those with whom we work and even all those who live on this planet with us. Sharl Hill, an Arkansas state representative for Christian Democrats, shared that so many others have paved the way for the blessings we have today, such as those in the Civil Rights Movement, and that we should be grateful to them for what they did, for the sacrifices they made so that life for us today in America can be better.

And of course most of all we should be grateful for all that God has done and continues to do for us to love, protect, and bless us. It was a beautiful time of realizing what we all are grateful for, to encourage us to do more for God and for humanity in each of our unique and special callings. It allowed us to recognize that when we unite our efforts together we can be a powerful force for good.