Unlocking the Hope: Rooted in Gratitude by Marn Norwich

When life shifts abruptly beneath our feet, we often look for grand solutions to steady ourselves. Yet, healing frequently begins in the smallest, quietest corners of our attention. There is a profound power in naming the simple mercies that persist even through isolation, grief, and change. Below, we invite you into the heart of Marn Norwich’s reflections, exactly as she lived them.

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Rooted in… gratitude lists

I am 26 years old and in desperate need of a huge life change. Without ever having traveled to British Columbia, I purchase a one-way ticket to Vancouver from Toronto, move into a new apartment… and fall immediately into a deep depression. I never doubt my choice to relocate. But I have left my hometown, family, and friends, and I am isolated, culture-shocked, and unemployed. The constant rain is like nothing I have ever imagined.

With no money to squander, I bet a portion of my savings on a visit to a therapist named Barbara. The fact that this is also my mother’s name helps seal the deal!

In our session, Barbara introduces me to the concept of three daily gratitudes. She tells me that I only need three, but that I really have to believe in them: no fakery! This is 1996, before gratitude lists were popular. 

Finding the Light

Over the next weeks, as I follow her directive, I find that despite my mood, three gratitudes invariably lead to more —many more. I begin to turn to gratitudes to shift my state of mind; they become a prime power-tool in my new-to-Vancouver survival kit!

Not long after, a 14-year-old Toronto boy — a friend of my sister whom I have met and liked — experiences a trauma. His father has a heart attack and dies in his arms. 

I badly want to reach out to him, but I feel awkward and don’t know what I will say. 

Instead of calling, I write him a letter. In the letter, I empathize with him and uphold his strength and goodness. I also explain to him how to incorporate Barbara’s gratitude tool, describing how he might use the three gratitudes to support himself through the shock and grief.

Passing the Anchor

I feel self-conscious sending the letter — I hardly know the boy — but it seems necessary, so I do it.

Weeks later, I hear back from my sister. She tells me that her friend has, in fact, appreciated the letter —which he now carries with him everywhere he goes!

I am incredibly moved by this knowledge. I feel hopeful for the boy, amazed that my letter about gratitude — from the sister of his friend — could have had such an impact. 

Thirty years later, I am equally in thrall to the power of gratitude to transform our suffering. 

Each item on a gratitude list helps to melt hearts hardened by loss or despair, reminding us of the goodness and beauty that surrounds us. This softens us by opening us to wonder, perspective, possibility and even magic! How incredible that our list of blessings is part of our reality. And knowing this, how can we not now veer toward hope?

Gratitude is the foundation of my life. It constitutes the last thought I have before I sleep at night, the first I invoke as I wake, and many that I have in-between. It keeps me centred on appreciation, focused on what is working in my life, and ever mindful of love and the many faces it assumes in the course of a day. 

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From the Be Embraced Circle

Reading through Marn Norwich’s reflections, we are reminded of how a single, quiet act of courage can ripple out into places we may never fully see. When we dare to reach across our own awkwardness and hand someone a tool that kept us afloat, we transform our personal survival into a shared sanctuary. Gratitude isn't about ignoring life's heavy rain; it is the deliberate practice of softening our hearts so that hope has room to land. Every time we share the small mercies that saved us, we build a bridge for another person to walk toward their own healing.

About the Contributor

With 30 years of experience, Marn Norwich leads individuals toward self-realization, breakthroughs, and empowered creative writing. Learn more through her website (https://vancouverwritingcourses.com/).