It’s easy to be grateful for sunshine and babies and love. It’s common to be thankful for family and abundance and safety.
But can I be thankful …
- For a husband who rarely agrees with me? Yes, because he challenges me to either compromise or to re-affirm my priorities.
- That I don’t have everything I want, and sometimes not even what I need? Yes, the limits and scarcity keep me humble and motivated instead of smug and self-righteous.
- That my body is ‘only human’ – subject to illness and injury? Yes, the body’s signals force me to respect my limits.
- That I’m no longer youthful? Yes, because I get to watch people fall in like with me for my other assets without the distraction of a stunning demeanor.
- For people that test my patience? Yes, they challenge me to elevate my game.
- For my children, my little mirrors, who often reflect the worst in me? Yes, they present me with countless opportunities see what I otherwise hide from my own awareness.
- For ‘bad’ things that happen in the world and to the world? Yes, these things give ‘good’ people a chance to shine.
All of these people and situations belie their purpose. I can barely fathom what they’re about at times. But their existence forces me to look outside my own parameters or else suffocate in my self-made misery.
This Thanksgiving, I remind myself of these overlooked blessings in honor of Mom who reminded me before every birthday party that we are to say ‘thank you’ even if we don’t like the gift.
Chaos & Clarity 