Gratefulness

 

"The aim of life is appreciation; there is no sense in not appreciating things; and there is no sense in having more of them if you have less appreciation of them.”~ G. K. Chesterton
 

It is a new month. And today is the 64th day of the year 2021. The first quarter of the year is 71% gone. #timecheck

I am taking a review break, to count my blessings, name them and give thanks for them. The first and most important is that I am here. I may not be totally pain free, worry free, care free, happy- go-lucky, but I am alive and for that, I give thanks.

I set goals at the beginning of the year. 64 days later, I am grateful that I have for the large part kept my commitments to myself and others and I am not where I started. I am on a trajectory to achieve those goals and I am proving to myself that I can be a person of my word. I can be trusted, even by myself. I can keep my word and for that, I give thanks.

This year, I have not walked alone. I am doing life accompanied. I have family and friends that I care about and that care about me. This far, I have been loved in word and deed, I have celebrated with some and condoled with others, I have been checked up on and I have checked up on those I love. I have shared and I have received, and for that, I give thanks.

Life has not been easy. Some difficulties have come my way of their own accord and others I have actively sought out. The struggle has been real and some muscles are beginning to bulge from the strain. New neural pathways have been created in my brain because I tried, failed and succeeded at new things. The struggle has made me more resilient, I am not broken or crushed, and for that, I give thanks.

There is a ton of adversity in life, especially if the news media is to be believed. Every day, scores die from disease, accident, natural disasters and human malice. Property is lost and destroyed or some tragedy occurs. Yes, it’s a crazy world we live in. However, the only way I can live my life fully is by recognizing that in this moment, I am OK. And in this moment, I can recognize and give thanks for the small and ordinary things in my life. And for one who is dead, the fact that I can breathe is miraculous. For the blind, my ability to see is a wonder. For one without legs, my worry about finding shoes is a mockery. Before you gripe or complain today, put your situation in perspective and find something to give thanks for. And for the fact that you have read this reminder, I GIVE THANKS.

“Let us remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, look forward to the future with confidence.” ~Pope John Paul II

 

 

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