Deserving of Gratitude

I am thinking about gratitude this week. I know it’s not a great stretch but appropriate nonetheless. I hope you all are able to locate yours right now. 

I have a vivid memory of my teenage self. My Dad walked into the room and said, “Good morning.” I made a smart (not so smart) comment about the phrase being inappropriate because “What if the morning wasn’t any good?”

Dad shut that down quickly and reminded me that every morning granted was an opportunity to be thankful. This was a man who has faced more opposition than I have ever known and yet he was committed to his gratitude. This has a great deal to do with his faith. No matter the challenges he has faced he sees every morning and as a gift and he is comforted in looking forward to something beyond this earthly plane. He accepted the gift and was not attached to the outcome.

I was in a stormy place at that time and it often felt easier to define myself by my troubles and trauma rather than look for something more.

I have since learned that experiencing pain or trauma does not mean I have to be defined by it. Neither am I defined by an unwavering feeling of joy. I struggle and get bogged down by my pain and disappointment but I am working harder to really see myself as my Self--whole though still in progress.

When we let go of our attachment to particular emotions and control, it can become much easier to embrace the perfectly flawed human that is completely deserving of love and, yes, gratitude. Give yourself that gift today and whenever you can.

I will try right along with you.