1. A gratitude letter written by a 17-year old girl to her mother:

I would like to take this time to thank you for all that you do on a daily basis and have
been doing my whole life….

I am so thankful that I get to drive in with you [to school]
everyday and that you listen and care about the things going on in our lives. I also
want to thank you for all the work you do for our church. Every week you work to
provide a great lineup of worship that allows everyone to enter in and glorify God
every Sunday….

I thank you for being there whenever I need you. I thank you that
when the world is against me that you stand up for me and you are my voice when I
can’t speak for myself. I thank you for caring about my life and wanting to be
involved. I thank you for the words of encouragement and hugs of love that get me
through every storm. I thank you for sitting through countless games in the cold and
rain and still having the energy to make dinner and all the things you do. I thank you
for raising me in a Christian home where I have learned who God was and how to
serve him….

I am so blessed to have you as my mommy and I have no idea what I
would have done without you. I love you a million hugs and kisses.

(this letter is from a scientific paper entitled Gratitude in Adolescence: An Understudied Virtue by
Jeffrey J. Froh and Giacomo Bono.)