Virtue of the Week focuses on building peaceful and caring communities through understanding and fostering the practice of virtues. The Source supports the Virtues Project and will publish one virtue developed by the project each week.
Appreciation is seeing the good in life, recognizing gifts that come our way and showing gratitude for them. When we express appreciation to others, we mirror the virtues we see in them. We see their positive intentions and honor them with gratitude. Love thrives on appreciation. Intimacy grows deeper when we know we are valued. We don’t dwell on unpleasant things, rather, we value the learning, even when we are challenged. We take in the pleasure life offers, without wasting a day.
The Practice of Appreciation
- I look for the good in life and in people.
- I freely express gratitude and admiration.
- I honor my own progress.
- I value the learning from challenging times.
- I enjoy all that life offers.
- I feel grateful for the bounty of my life.
Quote: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. Kennedy
Questions for Discussion
- How do we show appreciation to and for others who may be different from us?
- How is learning valued, even during difficult conversations?
- How do we show gratitude for the gifts in our community?
- How do we honor individual and community progress?
The Virtues Project is provided by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands in partnership with Virtues Matter.
Virtues Matter was started by a wife-husband team of social entrepreneurs seeking to positively uplift as many lives as possible. We aim to inspire and empower, to build capacity, strengthen relationships, and help everyone lead lives of passion and purpose.
Virtues Matter believes in a world where people are committed to kindness and respect, strive to be their best, and live with hope, courage, and in unity. We built the Virtues Cards mobile app, an interactive personal and team development tool, to help people identify and develop key virtues skills. We also offer dynamic workshops, online training, and customized programs to help people cultivate these positive qualities of character. To learn more, visit virtuesmatter.org.
