Will I live a life of thankfulness?
Weddings canceled---
Families separated---
Graduations and proms canceled---
Isolated from friends---
Wages lost---
Another event canceled and lost due to COVID---
Several weeks ago, an event was canceled that several nonprofits were planning together and we felt like something else was lost due to COVID.
Collectively we have lost much. If we are all feeling grief, who can comfort us during this time? How should we handle life during this season when things change so quickly?
The losses I have faced feel so big. My son got married but his friends and many of his family weren’t there. I have hardly seen my children and grandchildren since March. Decisions at work have another layer to them every day called COVID.
I feel overwhelmed at times. I feel tired. Sometimes this feels too hard.
How do I come out from under the pile? How do I gain a different perspective?
Gratitude
I read a quote last week that caused me to pause. “A heart of gratitude creates an abundance, even when there doesn’t seem to be abundance”. And I thought about a book I read in 2012.
“1000 Gifts” by Ann Voskamp was written in 2010. The tagline of the book is “A dare to live fully right where you are”. How do I live fully in this time when fear is big, problems and unrest are big and life feels hard and overwhelming?
One of the practices and rhythms I can work on is gratitude. Will I see all the things in my life, both big and small, that I can be thankful for? Will I journal and number those things so that contentment becomes big in my life and I can stand strong? I learned about a gratitude journal when I read “1000 Gifts”.
Here are some of the things I have written down that I am thankful for since reading “1000 Gifts”.
516. Digging in the dirt and planting
523. Quirky hostess at the diner-yellow eyeshadow and all! (I just smiled as I remembered this dinner)
660. Beautiful sunset
672. Hot tea on cold days
971. Flowers from sweet friends
1099. Laughter
1247. Books and eyes to read
1365. Quiet and peace at home
Just reading over my list brings joy and smiles to my face, and a few minutes of peace in my life. It lifts my spirit. It reminds me that there is so much in life to be thankful for.
My heart, mind and soul become refocused when I am thankful. I feel content. The challenges of life don’t feel quite so large.
And so, can I start to look at this season in a new way? Can I start to see what I have gained instead of what is lost? Can I find joy if and when the holidays are not what I expected?
Blessings during COVID
A new daughter-in-law
The health and strength to paint rooms in my home
Joy while working on new landscaping
Fresh produce from my yard or the local orchard
Love and encouragement from my husband
Talking to my children and grandchildren each week
Time spent outside visiting with friends
Only I can choose each day how I will look at life. Only I can choose which will be larger, joy or fear. It takes work and courage to keep choosing joy but each day the contentment that comes is so much fuller and richer than fear or discouragement.
What are the little things that cause you to smile today? What are you finding joy in today? Count your gifts and see just how rich your life really is.
I would love to hear some about some of the gifts in your life that bring you joy each day.
Blessings to you.