November 28--Keeping the Gratitude Train on Track and Moving

I am here in this moment because of every experience I have had along the way. I look with compassion on my journey from there to here.  --Mary Davis

Gratitude is defiance of sorts, the defiance of kindness in the face of anger, of connection in the face of division, and of hope in the face of fear. Gratefulness does not acquiesce to evil—it resists evil … by tunneling under its foundations of anger, resentment, and greed. Thus, gratitude strengthens our character and moral resolve, giving each of us the possibility of living peaceably and justly. It untwists knotted hearts, waking us to a new sense of who we are as individuals and in community. Being thankful is the very essence of what it means to be alive, and to know that life abundantly. --Diana Butler Bass

    My son sent a photo of their first big snow in northern Minnesota. I am grateful that I no longer live "up nord, hey." 

    Now that I am mostly recovered from my many-months journey through sciatica, I see that one big lesson is not taking things for granted. The first thing in this category is walking normally without cane, limp or imbalance. Next is how well my husband took care of me and our household while I couldn't do much. I appreciate those in my pickleball group who kept playing and "kept the doors open" while I was on the "injured list." I am grateful to be able to sleep comfortably in bed, to be able to go up and down stairs without holding onto something, to be able to walk Barney. I am hugely thankful for whatever sustained my "hope in the face of fear," because, trust me, pain at the level I experienced is terrifying. 

    Grateful, thankful, appreciative, 

        Leta

My lifesaver angel, otherwise known as Barney