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The Way of Gratitude: A New Spirituality for Today
A leading minister offers an inspiring guide to living a meaningful life by embracing the power of gratitude. Galen Guengerich, the charismatic, brilliant leader of one of the nation’s most prominent Unitarian Universalist congregations, All Souls in New York City, shares with readers his wisdom on how to lead a purposeful and joyful life through the practice of gratitude. When Guengerich was in his midtwenties, he left the Conservative Mennonite Church, the faith of his upbringing. The prospect of venturing out on his own was daunting, but he needed to find the way of life that was right for him. For Guengerich, transcendence is not limited to experiences of the divine; it can also be reached through gratitude’s ability to take us beyond ourselves and create connection to others and the universe. Through his personal story, poems that resonate with his spiritual message, and guided spiritual practice, including “gratitude goals,” this book helps readers discover how the way of gratitude can make them happier and healthier, and provide a new sense of belonging, not only to the universe as a whole but also to themselves.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 26, 2020
35 people are currently reading
946 people want to read
About the author
Galen Guengerich
9 books11 followersGalen Guengerich is Senior Minister of All Souls Unitarian Church, an historic congregation located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. He is the tenth person to hold this position in the congregation’s 193-year history. His last name is pronounced GING (rhymes with “sing”) -rich.
He was educated at Franklin and Marshall College (BA, 1982), Princeton Theological Seminary (MDiv, 1985) and the University of Chicago (PhD, 2004). His doctoral dissertation is titled Comprehensive Commitments and the Public World: Tillich, Rawls and Whitehead on the Nature of Justice.
He is author of the forthcoming book God Revised: How Religion Must Evolve in a Scientific Age (Palgrave Macmillan, May 2013) and writes a regular column on “The Search for Meaning” for psychologytoday.com.
His sermon at All Souls on Sept. 16, 2001—the Sunday after 9/11—was selected for inclusion in Representative American Speeches 2001-2002. Titled “The Shaking of the Foundations,” the sermon appears along with speeches by Governor George Pataki, President George Bush and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as one of seven “Responses to September 11th.”
He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He serves on the Board of Directors of Interfaith Alliance, the national non-partisan advocacy voice for faith and freedom; he served as chair of the Interfaith Alliance board from 2008-2012.In the past, Rev. Guengerich has served as Visiting Scholar at Union Theological Seminary in New York City; and on the boards of Dads and Daughters, the national advocacy nonprofit for fathers and daughters; the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, a human rights organization; and the New York City Audubon Society.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Holly G. Atkinson, MD; his daughter Zoë is a student at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
He was educated at Franklin and Marshall College (BA, 1982), Princeton Theological Seminary (MDiv, 1985) and the University of Chicago (PhD, 2004). His doctoral dissertation is titled Comprehensive Commitments and the Public World: Tillich, Rawls and Whitehead on the Nature of Justice.
He is author of the forthcoming book God Revised: How Religion Must Evolve in a Scientific Age (Palgrave Macmillan, May 2013) and writes a regular column on “The Search for Meaning” for psychologytoday.com.
His sermon at All Souls on Sept. 16, 2001—the Sunday after 9/11—was selected for inclusion in Representative American Speeches 2001-2002. Titled “The Shaking of the Foundations,” the sermon appears along with speeches by Governor George Pataki, President George Bush and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as one of seven “Responses to September 11th.”
He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He serves on the Board of Directors of Interfaith Alliance, the national non-partisan advocacy voice for faith and freedom; he served as chair of the Interfaith Alliance board from 2008-2012.In the past, Rev. Guengerich has served as Visiting Scholar at Union Theological Seminary in New York City; and on the boards of Dads and Daughters, the national advocacy nonprofit for fathers and daughters; the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, a human rights organization; and the New York City Audubon Society.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Holly G. Atkinson, MD; his daughter Zoë is a student at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 13, 2021
Always good to be reminded of gratitude. I did enjoy the incorporation of poetry in the chapters. I found his writing to be thought provoking for me but some where in the last third of the book I became less satisfied. Maybe because there was less discussion of art and nature, I can not be sure. His suggestions for daily gratitude could be helpful for anyone seeking to start expanding their spiritual practice and be a reminder to those who already practice why they do it and how they might change if stuck.
January 8, 2022
I downloaded this as a e-book because I receive his First Light Meditations (available from All Souls Unitarian Church, NY, NY). It is an interesting read about how we can look at life and how we can act with gratitude for what we have. The book includes an appendix that has a selection of those First Light Meditations and a guide to start your day with a bit more reflection than I normally do.
June 24, 2020
I absolutely adored reading this book. First it is the perfect size and fit in my hand so well. I guess that’s a weird thing to say — and I’ve never commented on the size or feel of a book before — but this one was really special. I also loved the cover — beautiful!
But even more special was what was written inside. It was such a great book — lots of personal stories from the author as well as his philosophy on gratitude as a spiritual movement. I agreed with almost everything he said so there weren’t a ton of revelations but it was beautifully written and for someone who doesn’t share my theology, it might be super enlightening.
I recommend this book A LOT!!
But even more special was what was written inside. It was such a great book — lots of personal stories from the author as well as his philosophy on gratitude as a spiritual movement. I agreed with almost everything he said so there weren’t a ton of revelations but it was beautifully written and for someone who doesn’t share my theology, it might be super enlightening.
I recommend this book A LOT!!
June 29, 2020
I don't read a lot of spiritual/self-help books but I chose this one because the author, Galen, is a wonderful minister in NYC and his church services give me life. I bought a copy for my dad for Father's day and read it before I gave it to him. I plan on getting my own copy since I know I'll refer back to it often. I thoroughly enjoyed "The way of Gratitude"--it felt like a breath of fresh air, especially amidst such tumultuous times. The practice of gratitude has already made subtle differences in my life and my mind. I'd recommend checking it out!
March 24, 2021
While Dr. Guengerich and I don't see eye to eye on everything, I appreciate what he is trying to accomplish with this book. I am not sure that I learned that much more about gratitude, as the author defines gratitude in a way that I am still grappling with but there was plenty here for me to think about. Here are some of those thought provoking ideas...
"Sharansky told me the the learned the most important lesson of his life while in prison. People want two things he said: They want to be free and they want to belong. But most people think freedom comes first and then belonging follows. What he realized in prison was that the opposite is true: You need to belong in order to be free."
"Increasingly, people in our nation and in other Western nations worship the idol of personal freedom, viewing happiness primarily as a form of private satisfaction. When freedom is understood in this narrow and self-serving way, happiness remains isolated from a source of value that links our individual happiness to the well-being of the people and world around us. As it turns out, this isn't just bad for us as individuals; it's bad for the character of our nation."
"Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine;
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine." -William Blake
"To see the World in a Grain of Sand,
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour." -William Blake
"Everything becomes whatever it becomes by virtue of how it relates to everything else." -Alfred North Whitehead
"The founding principle of all existence is this: Everything is constituted by relationships. If you could dissemble the material universe into its constituent elementary particles and pack them tightly together, you'd have a handful of material. (It's hard to believe but this is literally true.) Everything else is relationships: the experience of these particles as they relate to each other."
"The many become one and are increased by one. This is the fundamental process by which events take place and time moves forward. Everything is ultimately connected to everything else. In a culture that continually touts individuality and self-reliance as defining virtues, it's a counterintuitive claim that we are defined not by how we are independent of the people and the world around us, but by how we are connected to them."
"Joy involves an astonishment which does not cease when the novelty wears off." -Immanuel Kant
"Love is the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real." -Iris Murdoch
"The image of a human being as self-sufficient is a mirage - the product of wishful thinking. In fact, we rely on the people and the world around us for everything. There is no form of life on earth less self-sufficient than a human being. We can't do anything on our own."
To sin by silence, when we should protest,
Makes cowards out of men. The human race
Has climbed on protest. Had no voice been raised
Against injustice, ignorance, and lust,
The inquisition yet would serve the law,
And guillotines decide our least disputes.
The few who dare, must speak, and speak again
To right the wrongs of many..." -Ella Wheeler Wilcox (excerpt from Protest)
"The great religions have been able to survive: Islam for 1500 years, Christianity for 2000 years, and Judaism for 4000 years. Why is this so? These faith traditions, Jonathan Sacks says, 'remind us that civilizations survive not by strength but by how they respond to the weak; not by wealth but by the care they show for the poor; not by power but by their concern for the powerless. The ironic yet utterly humane lesson of history is that what renders a culture invulnerable is the compassion is shows to the vulnerable. The ultimate value we should be concerned to maximize is human dignity - the dignity of all human beings, equally, as children of the creative, redeeming God.'"
"Sharansky told me the the learned the most important lesson of his life while in prison. People want two things he said: They want to be free and they want to belong. But most people think freedom comes first and then belonging follows. What he realized in prison was that the opposite is true: You need to belong in order to be free."
"Increasingly, people in our nation and in other Western nations worship the idol of personal freedom, viewing happiness primarily as a form of private satisfaction. When freedom is understood in this narrow and self-serving way, happiness remains isolated from a source of value that links our individual happiness to the well-being of the people and world around us. As it turns out, this isn't just bad for us as individuals; it's bad for the character of our nation."
"Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine;
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine." -William Blake
"To see the World in a Grain of Sand,
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour." -William Blake
"Everything becomes whatever it becomes by virtue of how it relates to everything else." -Alfred North Whitehead
"The founding principle of all existence is this: Everything is constituted by relationships. If you could dissemble the material universe into its constituent elementary particles and pack them tightly together, you'd have a handful of material. (It's hard to believe but this is literally true.) Everything else is relationships: the experience of these particles as they relate to each other."
"The many become one and are increased by one. This is the fundamental process by which events take place and time moves forward. Everything is ultimately connected to everything else. In a culture that continually touts individuality and self-reliance as defining virtues, it's a counterintuitive claim that we are defined not by how we are independent of the people and the world around us, but by how we are connected to them."
"Joy involves an astonishment which does not cease when the novelty wears off." -Immanuel Kant
"Love is the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real." -Iris Murdoch
"The image of a human being as self-sufficient is a mirage - the product of wishful thinking. In fact, we rely on the people and the world around us for everything. There is no form of life on earth less self-sufficient than a human being. We can't do anything on our own."
To sin by silence, when we should protest,
Makes cowards out of men. The human race
Has climbed on protest. Had no voice been raised
Against injustice, ignorance, and lust,
The inquisition yet would serve the law,
And guillotines decide our least disputes.
The few who dare, must speak, and speak again
To right the wrongs of many..." -Ella Wheeler Wilcox (excerpt from Protest)
"The great religions have been able to survive: Islam for 1500 years, Christianity for 2000 years, and Judaism for 4000 years. Why is this so? These faith traditions, Jonathan Sacks says, 'remind us that civilizations survive not by strength but by how they respond to the weak; not by wealth but by the care they show for the poor; not by power but by their concern for the powerless. The ironic yet utterly humane lesson of history is that what renders a culture invulnerable is the compassion is shows to the vulnerable. The ultimate value we should be concerned to maximize is human dignity - the dignity of all human beings, equally, as children of the creative, redeeming God.'"
December 10, 2022
Galen Guengerich approaches the virtue of gratitude with a depth and tenderness that sets this discussion apart from so much of what we see about being grateful in the popular media. We’re often advised to adopt an “attitude of gratitude” or keep a “gratitude list”, yet what Unitarian minister Guengerich has to say about this much revered and mentioned virtue goes much further than this. In his view, gratitude can be the bond that connects us to the Divine, in each other and in the entire web of life that surrounds and includes us. It is this transcendent quality of complete thanks-giving that creates value and purpose in our lives and in all that we do as a result of recognizing everything we have to be thankful for. Here is a powerful and much needed message that is inspirational, beautiful and totally doable. As a spiritual practice, as this book describes it, cultivating gratitude of this deeper kind could be the antidote to much of the division and resentment that have become such a part of modern life.
August 11, 2020
Good quotes and lovely poems. I reject the notion that we are incomplete or somehow cannot fully appreciate the wholeness of life without spirituality and am disappointed more discussion of the celebration of nature and art are not more widely recognized as being a heart/spirit awakening for secular humans. I'm an atheist that enjoys works on philosophy, was drawn into this book because UU services often offer wonderful insights on life, community, nature and health; this author is clearly dedicated and has wonderful anecdotes but I wouldn't recommend it to fellow atheists.
May 3, 2020
There is never a time when one can not be uplifted by taking a moment to feel gratitude. But as the world suffers through a global pandemic and so much of life seems out of one's control, people are desperate for opportunities to escape the worries and feel hopeful. This book provides a fresh look at the value of “smelling the roses” and is a reminder that there is plenty to be grateful for.
September 16, 2020
Thought-provoking book by the senior minister at All Souls UU, New York City. He describes how he evolved from his conservative Mennonite upbringing to a more inclusive joyful faith. He lives a deeper level of gratitude than I do, but I learned some other ways to explore gratitude. Some great quotes, some practices I could use, but others that don't fit for me.
September 25, 2020
I believe in the value of gratitude and was looking forward to finding ways to strengthen my gratitude practice from this book. Unfortunately I didn’t take much away from it - this may be better for someone who is new to thinking about the importance of gratitude.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reading copy.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reading copy.
October 9, 2020
I enjoyed this book and how it showed the importance of gratitude in our lives. It is a good book for anyone who wants to be more grateful for everything in their lives.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
September 9, 2020
The girls' grandpa was raised a Mennonite and their great-grandfather was a Mennonite minister so those sections which examined the faith were interesting. Reminders to be practice gratitude are always good for me.
June 18, 2023
An outstanding book on practicing gratitude throughout all aspects of your life building on the experience of this Unitarian pastor coming out of the Mennonite community. Very grateful to have read this book.
November 14, 2024
The dissonance between his obvious bitterness about his childhood and him urging the reader to be grateful every day took me out of this one. If this hadn't been a Book Club pick, I would have given up after the first few chapters.
April 7, 2020
FYI: I won this book on goodreads.com.
Interesting and food for thought. Honest and thoughtful. Dry reading at times.
Interesting and food for thought. Honest and thoughtful. Dry reading at times.
January 23, 2021
I loved the thought provoking way Galen walks you through how we are dependent on a lot of people in order to live, even if "off the grid".
June 16, 2021
A deeply felt, thoughtful book, that will change my own life as I adopt some of Rev. G's ideas.
February 15, 2023
Maybe it’s not fair of me to give a review if I haven’t finished the book, however it just wasn’t for me.
Read
December 4, 2024DNF - terrible!
March 26, 2020
It was a good read.
March 19, 2020
A practical, non-religious, look at living with gratitude even in tough times. The personal stories and helpful meditations provide context for the author's point of view.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews