Gratitude—Dan Villanti ’09
Dan Villanti ’09 is the Director of Alumni Relations for the Office of Institutional Advancement at DeSales University.
Today, as we celebrate our core value of gratitude, we look no further than Psalm 118:24 that states “this is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” We hear this verse so many times on Sunday in mass, but the message is so valuable each and every day.
Gratitude begins with our attitude. Think quickly about how grateful we are now with something so small such as finding Lysol wipes in the cleaning aisle or large packs of paper towels back on the shelves. It is because our attitude allows us to think of a full cart as a “win,” since we remember too clearly how empty aisles look. I challenge our community to find gratitude through our attitude in two places and focus on those today.
Gratitude for our God and our Faith: I wear a rubber bracelet around my wrist each day that has a popular Bible verse (4:13) from Philippians that states, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Many years ago, I read this verse as if it were a herculean or superhero statement—I can do anything I want if I just go through Christ. However, once I began reading the words of Paul in the book of Philippians, I realized that the verse focuses on living in contentment understanding God is providing all that we need (not always all that we want). When I understood this greater, my attitude changed to being less jealous of what I thought I wanted, and to being much more grateful for what I needed. If we focus on our God and our faith—truly a relationship—we learn that, in reality, He is all we need.
Gratitude for one another: The pandemic has taught us so much about ourselves. One of the many things I’ve taken away from the pandemic is to cherish the days we see someone laugh at a joke, or the ability to give a high-five. Those moments provide a grateful attitude. However, the events on March 6th taught our DeSales community that not only should we be grateful for one another, but we, in fact, need one another. Our relationships provide a grateful heart.
As we go through the day, I hope our DeSales community—both near and far—brings a fresh attitude of gratitude by appreciating this present day. Remember, “this is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
God of abundance, we thank you for all that you have given us,
especially today for (name a blessing).
May our gratitude continue to bring us to share from our bounty
to ease the burdens of those who struggle.
Humbled in gratitude, O God, we ask for one more gift: a grateful heart.
Amen.
Dan Villanti ’09 is the Director of Alumni Relations for the Office of Institutional Advancement at DeSales University.