Regardless of what religion DS is or follows or does not follow, I still think that mindfulness and gratitude are attributes I hope to be able to help instill in him. He has been very fortunate--I would like him to feel grateful, but not guilty.
I guess I'm feeling some responsibility to bring this all back to our kids. One of the rituals we have in our home is simply to say something we are grateful for at the beginning of each meal. We call it the "Happiness Game." If there is a God, I figure then God must hear this and be happy that we are counting our blessings. If there is no God, then we are still creating a grateful spirit in our home and that must have some practical benefits. Grateful people are often happier! I guess I'm saying that for our family this is a ritual that works well regardless of belief system and I haven't met anyone who was offended by it!
