This week of Thanksgiving has had me thinking about gratitude.

I’m not always good at giving thanks. I’m polite enough to say “thank you” at the appropriate times, but saying “thanks” and giving thanks are two different things. To me, saying “thanks” is an almost automatic reply—something my mom taught me to do from a very early age, as all good Southern ladies know. In simply saying “thanks,” I find that I focus more on the gift than the giver, because the gift is the object of thanks. By giving thanks, I am acknowledging the giver and his or her role in of giving.