The Gratitude Jar
BLOGGER: JOY HARRISON
Joy manages the Writers’ Conference Bookstore in Ivy (Upstairs street-side corner of the dining hall).
THE GRATITUDE JAR
I’ve been fortunate the last decade and more to be part of the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. Most of the time I am in the Writers’ Conference Bookstore helping attending authors check in their books for sale, find a book to purchase relating to their continuing writing journey, or to listen.
The bookstore in Ivy Dining Room is set up just for this conference and is unique in many ways. One of my favorite little known perks of this job is overseeing the Gratitude Jar. People stop by all day and take a moment to write down something they are thankful for concerning the conference.
It might be something they learned, how they arrived at the conference or someone they met or spoke with that day. It can be just a word or several paragraphs, but all the papers entering the jar testify to how grateful we are to be where we are.
Each day before dinner I randomly draw one of the notes and, if it is signed (because sometimes people just want a place to say thank you), I reward a book to the note writer. It isn’t about winning a book because being grateful is its own reward. But it is fun to get an unexpected gift.
Some of my favorite Gratitude Notes have mentioned a moment in conversation with an editor or a new acquaintance speaking words of encouragement, cementing the resolve to continue writing. Or this one, “I’m thankful for my grandma and my church, who helped me come here.”
Stop by the Writers’ Conference Bookstore to see what your fellow authors have published, to find a book for your return flight, or to find a book for the kiddos you left at home. When you do, I hope you’ll write a grateful note to put next to all the others in the Gratitude Jar.
I hope to see you during the conference. I’m in the bookstore and always ready to help, sometimes with a smile or a prayer or a hug. And certainly I can direct you to the books your instructor has recommended. Just ask for Joy.
