by Debora McDermed, Ph.D. | Dec 30, 2018 | Blog
From the me to the “we”. Practicing communal gratitude does not seem like an easy road – first off you can’t make it compulsory. Forcing gratitude, especially when required by those in positions of power, is just another abuse of power and surely would only foster...
by Debora McDermed, Ph.D. | Dec 26, 2018 | Blog
“The long arc of history bends towards justice.” Dr Martin Luther King I promised that I would tie Gratitude to the transformation possibilities in our world every day. This has been a week that would easily provoke stress and a loss of hope. From the last minute...
by Debora McDermed, Ph.D. | Dec 17, 2018 | Blog
As we enter the last week before Christmas, we can certainly be focused on getting while we are busy giving. What to get who, and how much to spend can overwhelm us with anything But gratitude. The latin root of gratitude is gratia which is the same root as Grace....
by Debora McDermed, Ph.D. | Dec 8, 2018 | Blog
It is not uncommon for us to describe our lives in terms of the struggles- what we have overcome and how we did it – its akin to what I said in the first post – which was we focus more on what isn’t working than what is. When I first came to San Francisco so many...
by Debora McDermed, Ph.D. | Dec 3, 2018 | Blog
Some years ago I was living in New York City when the holiday season was in full swing. I didn’t relish the idea of spending Christmas alone, so a friend connected me with serving Christmas dinner at the Salvation Army in Harlem. To say that it was a taste of things...
by Debora McDermed, Ph.D. | Nov 25, 2018 | Blog
I grew up with one of the greatest advocates of Miss Manners, and the importance of a thank you note for all gifts received. My mother would sit me down at the kitchen table with pen and special notes she had purchased, and instruct me on the etiquette of writing a...
