"Gratitude has a cleansing effect on the soul," according to spiritual leader and author, Marianne Williamson, "healing us from the inside out." The very act of saying "thank you" makes us humbler, gentler and more loving people. "When something good happens and we give thanks for it," she goes on, "then its positive effect expands within us."

What about expressing thanks for gifts we would rather not have received? What a powerful practice a word of appreciation becomes when even in the face of a serious diagnosis, a child in trouble, or unexpected financial reversals we can say "Thank you, God!" People who in the throes of receiving a gift wrapped in heartache rather than in beautiful ribbons and bows don