Thankful for You
Today I'm thinking of what it means to be grateful in the midst of adversity. Many people I know are having a very difficult time right now, some facing challenges that shake them to the core, and others dealing with the slow, daily plod of showing up even when each day feels slightly more taxing than the last.
I think of all the things we have to be grateful for, even those things bought at very high cost. I think of the origins of the upcoming holiday and the taint that marks it - the oppression, the thievery, the murder - and still, I appreciate that there is a holiday just about gratitude, that is reminiscent of harvest festivals that happen all over the world.
The dark night of the soul is a teacher. There can be joy in the midst of great sorrowing. There can be gratitude under adversity. There can be a new life growing from the shards of the old. There is ever work to be done, but there also needs to be time set aside for rest.
Today, I send out thanks for all of my life's blessings, and for everyone who is making an effort, who is showing up, who is sitting at the bedside of a sick beloved, who is struggling with work or lack of work, with their children, with heartache, with alienation, and with growth.
Take heart. Breathe deeply of the air of this day. Give thanks for what you can. Your life is worth it.
I think of all the things we have to be grateful for, even those things bought at very high cost. I think of the origins of the upcoming holiday and the taint that marks it - the oppression, the thievery, the murder - and still, I appreciate that there is a holiday just about gratitude, that is reminiscent of harvest festivals that happen all over the world.
The dark night of the soul is a teacher. There can be joy in the midst of great sorrowing. There can be gratitude under adversity. There can be a new life growing from the shards of the old. There is ever work to be done, but there also needs to be time set aside for rest.
Today, I send out thanks for all of my life's blessings, and for everyone who is making an effort, who is showing up, who is sitting at the bedside of a sick beloved, who is struggling with work or lack of work, with their children, with heartache, with alienation, and with growth.
Take heart. Breathe deeply of the air of this day. Give thanks for what you can. Your life is worth it.