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Truly Grateful

© Kristine Raymond

Sometimes I wake up in the morning and realize soon thereafter that I should have stayed in bed. The baby is screaming, the laundry has piled up, the house needs a good scrub, but I am consumed by the overwhelming desire to put my life and all of its troubles on "pause".

We all have days like that, don't we?

It is difficult to remain optimistic in the face of adversity, whether the day's obstacles consist of an unpaid parking ticket that skewers a carefully planned budget or a sick child who requires love and special care.

It is so easy to forget how blessed life is. We often take things for granted without consciously realizing that we are doing so. We lose sight of the important things because we are tired, depleted and fed-up of dealing with those petty issues which seem to require more brain space than we are prepared to allocate.

I was feeling particularly miserable the other day. The reasons underlying my discontent are irrelevent: suffice it to say that I was allowing the mundane concerns of everyday life cloud my perception of those things which are truly signifcant.

Then a strange thing happened. A friend sent me a letter that jolted me right back to reality. The worries that had once been so prevalent concerning my daughter's well-being rushed to the forefront of my thoughts, and the selfish, ungrateful attitude that I had indulged impacted me full-force. I have so much to be thankful for! We all do, no matter what may temporarily avert our minds and hearts from that which is beautiful, pure and true. I would like to share this e-mail with you, because it has served me very well.

I Am Thankful

For the teenager who is not doing dishes but is watching TV, because it means that he is at home and not on the streets.

For the taxes I pay, because it means that I am employed.

For the mess to clean after a party, because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means that I have enough to eat.

For the shadow which watches me work, because it means that I am out in the sunshine.

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means that I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means that we have freedom of speech.