I noticed a trend within my Facebook circle this month… Every day, various family members and friends made their status about a specific person / place / thing / condition for which they are grateful… It has been a good reminder that no matter what has happened or may currently be going on, there are always reasons to be thankful…
There was a similar theme among their posts; by and large, they pertained to positive or happy circumstances, which got me thinking…what about the not so wonderful side? We are commanded to give thanks about everything, not just the good stuff or for the things that align with our heart’s desires... Lately, I’ve been struggling in many ways, so I decided it was a good time to give thanks for some of the unwanted issues present in my life right now-maybe not for the situations per se, but for the bigger themes behind them, like…
my unexpected job loss, which gave me a much needed shove to examine and re-evaluate our family budget, expenses, and make some adjustments; it also pushed me to look at career paths running parallel to what I already know…
or the three-day headache caused by reading reams of fine print, reminding me how fortunate we are that John’s busy with work…and that I can see and read and even have the ability to help him at all…
and the challenges of tending to an elderly, terminally ill cat… We’re learning how to change ever larger bandages on a reluctant patient and how to coax him to eat more than a few morsels at a time, as he gradually loses his battle with cancer… We’re also growing in patience since he insists on drinking from a dripping bathtub faucet in the wee hours of the night and sitting smack dab in the middle of whatever we’re doing during the day… Still, we’re fortunate to have this borrowed time with him and the opportunity to provide compassionate care during the end of his days…
Once you find small blessings hidden within some of life’s hard places, the greater gifts really shine: having a safe, warm place to call home; feeling generally healthy, well and strong; being able to bake and break bread with those you love and love you back, and reaching out to the rest living elsewhere on the phone…life is pretty good. We have much to be thankful for…
But no matter how good it gets, it will always be incomplete…
We’ll always be wishing Brian was here with us too…
Wishing you many blessings and hope…tg
Tammy will update her blog twice weekly…
