From Grief to Gratitude

“Won’t you celebrate with me,” is the title and first line of poet Lucille Clifton’s love letter to Black women. 

won't you celebrate with me

what i have shaped into

a kind of life? i had no model.

born in babylon

both nonwhite and woman

what did i see to be except myself?

i made it up

here on this bridge between

starshine and clay,

my one hand holding tight

my other hand; come celebrate

with me that everyday

something has tried to kill me

and has failed.

What are you celebrating, sisters? 

What has come against you this year that you have survived? 

What victories are you claiming in advance for yourself and your family?

As we head into the final stretch of 2023, what are you grateful for? 

Fresh off the 9-Day Prayer Trek, we are inviting our community to lean into this season of transformation and keep walking with us by participating in GirlTREK’s 21-Day Gratitude Trek, a simple and fun neighborhood challenge designed to help you and your crew put the thanks back into the Thanksgiving season by counting your blessings and practicing random acts of kindness. 

How many can you complete before the year is out? The goal? At least 21 in 30 days. Are you in? 

Many of the Prayer Trek crew have already gotten started, using our dope checklist as a guide. 

Those who are up for the challenge will not only bless their bodies but also the people around them. We will be the good news in a time when the world is experiencing great heartache and grief. We will be the light bearers, the love seekers, the learning lab for goodness, testing the power of our goodwill with each walk we take. 

Convinced that you can be a catalyst for change? 

Here’s what we want you to do. 

1. Tell somebody today that you’re in for GirlTREK’s 21-Day Gratitude Trek and that you plan to start on November 1st. That’s a full five days to prepare your heart and mind for the journey ahead. Tell your family, your work crew, your church, and your community to walk with you. Just forward this email. Or post to your group chat. Or use our meme below on your social media and post. 

2. Make a game plan. Study the list. What trek are you most excited to complete? Start to dream about what can change in your life within one month, just by believing in the science that says gratitude unlocks the fullness of life and creates an alchemical effect that impacts your world, seen and unseen. Because it’s true. 

3. Register. You can officially register here so that we can track who is walking and curate special inspiration and celebrations just for you. If you signed up when you registered for Prayer Trek, you’re good.

If you need some good news in your life, this is it. 

If you want to help the people around you experience something magical, this is how. 

If you are planning to join us at the end of the year for our biggest activation of the season— The Black Family 5K—and you want to get your people excited and up and training now, THIS IS THE CHALLENGE FOR THEM. 

Say yes. Please. Get off the sidelines. Get into the streets with us. 

We are the ones we've been waiting for and we walk in agreement that the more women who join us, the more power we unleash. 

With gratitude, 

The GirlTREK Team