Friendship Week 5: Friends Reflect on Growing in Gratitude

WINE 2018 Summer Book Club

The Friendship Project: The Catholic Woman’s Guide to Making and Keeping Fabulous, Faith-Filled Friends

Friends Reflect

When developing the WINE companion journal for The Friendship Project,

we thought it would be fun to include reflections on each chapter written by friends.

Our friend-pairs collaborated in their writing and share inspiring, heart-warming, and Spirit-led reflections.

Growing in Gratitude

Gratitude is a thankful disposition of mind and heart. Being evangelists on the “front-line,” be that a syndicated talk show host (Catholic Connection) or leading a national Catholic women’s ministry (WINE), we know the importance of having a like mind and heart when it comes to living the virtue of gratitude. We often laugh over the situations our mission to evangelize puts us in.

Many are the days we call each other stuck in an airport for 7 hours, or arrive late at a hotel and sit down to a dinner of Cheez-Its and Diet Coke, or race to a speaking engagement to learn their audio system has died (or was never ordered.)

In all of this Christ-centered chaos, our friendship is an oasis of support and a wellspring of encouragement. No matter what ailment is shared, the response from the listener on the other end of the phone is, “Praise God!” And the reply from the one sharing her woes is always a joyful, “Amen!” (Not to mention an occasional “I’ll drink to that.”)

We know that our complementing gifts are not given for our benefit, but to build up His kingdom on earth! And we know that our complementing differences help us recognize and appreciate the gifts God has given others, allowing us to elevate them in their gifts. How blessed are we to be part of His amazing plan of sheer goodness!

This is a portion of the inspiring reflection by Kelly Wahlquist and Teresa Tomeo on the virtue of gratitude and friendship found in The Friendship Project companion journal, available only through WINE. Purchase here: http://bit.ly/2LiJlEi

***Proceeds benefit the non-profit work of WINE ministry.

About the Authors:

Kelly Wahlquist is a wife, mother of three, inspiring Catholic author and speaker residing in Minnesota. She is the founder of WINE: Women In the New Evangelization, Associate Director for the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute, and contributing writer for Catholicmom.com. Her book Created to Relate: God’s Design for Peace & Joy encourages and inspires women to live fully their beautiful God-given gifts for building relationships. She is the creator and editor of Walk in Her Sandals: Experiencing Christ’s Passion through the Eyes of Women. Kelly travels the country speaking to all on topics that inspire us to live the New Evangelization, but has a special love for speaking at Catholic women’s events.

Teresa Tomeo is a bestselling author, syndicated Catholic talk show host, and speaker with more than thirty years of experience in print and broadcast media. Her weekday radio program, Catholic Connection, a co-production of Ave Maria Radio and EWTN, the global Catholic radio network, is heard daily on over 500 stations worldwide, and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Her TV show, The Catholic View for Women, is seen twice weekly on EWTN. Tomeo is a columnist and special correspondent for OSV Newsweekly.

She has been featured on The O’Reilly Factor, Fox News, Fox and Friends, MSNBC, and the Dr. Laura Show. She was named a Vatican conference speaker and conference delegate and spoke at the 2013 conference the “Rights of the Family and the Challenges of the Contemporary World” sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Family. Tomeo participated in the Vatican Women’s Congress in 2008. She speaks throughout North America and also leads overseas retreats and pilgrimages annually. Tomeo is a teacher for St. Benedict Press’ Catholic Courses. She is best known for her bestselling books: Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ, Not Conformed to the Culture; and Noise: How Our Media Saturated Culture Dominates Lives and Dismantles Families. Her latest books include Beyond Me, My Selfie, and I: Finding Real Happiness in a Self-Absorbed World; Girlfriends and Other Saints: Companions on My Journey of Faith; and Intimate Graces: How Practicing the Works of Mercy Brings Out the Best in Marriage, co-written with her husband, Deacon Dominick Pastore. Teresa also hosts a monthly webinar, Catholic Leaders Webinar Series: Media Matters, produced by Our Sunday Visitor.