In his book "Thanks," psychologist Robert Emmons suggests that an attitude of thankfulness changes lives. This is not just theory.

Emmons is among the first to do a clinical study comparing people who give thanks for their good fortune with those who ignore or resist this disposition. People with gratitude are happier, more content with their lives, and enjoy richer relationships, his studies find.

In today's Gospel reading, ten lepers beg Jesus to heal them. Jesus instructs them to go to the priests, and as they travel to the temple all are healed. Only one of the ten returns, falling at the feet of Jesus, to offer thanks for his healing.

"Ten were cleansed, were they not?" Jesus asks. "Where are the nine others?" Then he says to the one who returned: "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."

If you're like me, you have much to be thankful for. I also have much in my life that causes me worry and distress. What do I tend to focus on? The things in my life that aren't as I wish.

How much time do I spend thanking God for all that I've been given rather than asking God to change the circumstances I don't like? Not very much time at all. And, if a prayer or desire isn't answered immediately, I rarely even remember that I asked for it.

In addition to his clinical analysis, Emmons gives recommendations for how to cultivate a lifestyle of gratitude. One of his recommendations is to keep a gratitude journal. This is a regular list of things we are grateful for, and wishes, prayers or desires that have been fulfilled. If we begin our days with this kind of exercise, we are more likely to start and remain in a positive frame of mind. This will impact how we treat ourselves and others throughout the day.

Emmons suggests that gratitude can change our lives. Jesus takes it one step further and says that it can save our souls. Jesus equates the leper's gratitude with faith, meaning that acknowledging God's gifts to us is a large part of how we stay connected with God. The story in today's Gospel is a case in point - those who don't give thanks wander off on their own while the grateful one remains connected to Christ.

It seems that it should be easy to begin each day thanking God for the good things in our lives - shelter, food, family, jobs, friends and more. Most of us are, in fact, richly blessed. I know I am. I just don't act like it very often.

If you could peer inside my mind, most of the time you'd think I was destitute of all these things. I am more like the nine lepers who wander away, figuratively, from the one who has given me so much.

The good news is that it is never too late to give thanks. It is never too late to focus on the positive people, events and experiences in our lives. It is never too late to turn to God and embrace our good fortune. It can change our lives. It can save our souls.

Bill Peatman writes from Napa.