My Heart Overflows: A Treasury of Readings, Poems, and Prayers on Gratitude, Compiled by the editors at Paraclete Press. Paraclete Press (ISBN: 9781640609617), 2024.
Summary: A treasury of reflections on gratitude, a compilation of poetry, quotations, readings and art on thanksgiving for blessings, others, and God.
Paraclete Press excels in publishing works of devotion combining depth of content and graphical material. This work is one more example of that excellence. Organized around the theme of gratitude, this compilation of quotations, readings, and poetry, and prayers offers ample material for reflection. The text is complemented by reproductions of art that may be used as visio divina on gratitude.
We proceed on a way of gratitude in three movements. Firstly, we consider the little blessings that fill our days. We move from a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi to a meditation on Walden Pond from Henry David Thoreau. A prayer of Carl Sandburg is accompanied by Van Gogh’s View of Arles, Flowering Orchards. All of this reminds us of the wonder of the world around us, captured in William Cutter’s poem “The Value of Little Things.”
Secondly, we reflect on our gratitude for others. On facing pages, we view Joseph Stella’s striking Apotheosis of the Rose, a quote by Alexander Duma expressing gratitude for the good done by another and a reflection by Margaret Visser on how “gratitude for” means accepting our dependence on another. George Washington’s Farewell Address is another treasure in this section. But perhaps the best example of gratitude is “The Many People Who Have Urged Me on and Helped Me Learn.” Certainly, all of us could profitably reflect on the many people who did this in our lives!
Finally, God is ultimately the one we thank for every good thing. I loved Edward Payson Powell’s observation that we should be thank-full, faith-full, and truthful, a “trinity of character.” Another set of facing pages in this section also caught my attention. G.K. Chesterton tells us all the things beside meals for which he says Grace. Opposite is Jan Sluyters’ luminous Morning Glory, below which is this Kahlil Gibran quote:
"You pray in your distress and in your need;
would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy
and in your days of abundance."
To sum up, I could go on with the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins, Emily Dickinson, and the readings and art of many others. But I will stop and simply commend this treasury of reflections on gratitude to any wanting to cultivate a thank-full heart.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.