Gratitude

The month of November has always been one of my favorites.  Thanksgiving weekend is the one time all year when my sister, brother, and I all get together with our families and enjoy each other's company.    Eleven years ago, our dad passed away the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  He had looked forward to seeing everyone on that weekend.

I'm not looking as forward to the holidays as I have in past years.  One thing, though, that always lifts my spirits is to purposely begin to "count my blessings."  Expressing thankfulness every day for even one thing changes the way I look at the world and at my life.

Today I'm going to begin early, and mention, daily, my gratefulness for God's blessings.  This is what I think the scripture means "In everything give thanks."  Not that we are thankful for suffering and illness or difficult circumstances, but that in or in spite of everything there is a reason for gratitude.

I am thankful today for the people I love.  My wonderful husband: how could I get through this without him??  God led us to each other, and I am so thankful for our relationship.  My brother and sister and their families who continue to extend their love to us and to make us smile.  My nieces and nephews who bring joy to our lives every day.  My wonderful mom who prays for us every day.  Our sweet son, Lacy, for the joy he brings to us, for his struggle to continue to thrive in spite of HD, for his strong unwavering faith that God will take care of him.

Pain is easy to attend to.  It demands my time and attention.  Gratefulness eases the heart, and helps me to refocus my mind to the good things that HD can never take away.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Suddenly...It's Spring

Spring comes without warning, it seems.  Suddenly everything is green, flowers are blooming, and the world is waking up.  New life is everywhere.  Robins are hopping around our backyard, some are building nests in nearby trees and shrubs.  There is an expectancy in the air. The cycle of grief is a recursive one.  Back and forth it seems to go for months on end.  Great sadness, numbness, depression, exhaustion; until one day a memory comes and it is not painful but poignant.  Rather than a tear falling, a smile comes and with it a hint of joy and a lightness of spirit. Ten months have passed since we lost our Lacy.  We made it through some big firsts; birthday, Father's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas.  The anniversary date of his home-going is not far away. In these ten months, Kenny and I have begun to find our way into new patterns and traditions. Sunday afternoons have become a time for visiting friends, enjoying walks, or just relaxing.  We spent Christmas 2016 on the beach
Read more

Day by Day

Alan is doing better since his hospitalization.  His outbursts are fewer, and are less "pitched" than before his med changes.  The staff assigned to him at his group home are doing well with him.  They have to pick their battles, as we all do, and are trying to keep him to a schedule. We took Alan to his neurology appointment this week.  Usually when someone asks Alan how he is doing, he just says "fine," but on this day he answered, "My knees are weak, and I have to lean over and hold on to things." After examination, Alan's doctor recommended physical therapy, as Alan is perilously close to falling.  While we don't know if Alan will be able to follow a therapists directions, or will even want to cooperate, we will arrange for a consultation. I can deal with the nuts and bolts of being an advocate and sometimes caregiver for my son, but I find it hard to maintain the focus I need when I hear his say that he is having trouble walking.  It is
Read more

Countdown

Four weeks from today will be two years since we lost Lacy. I keep getting reminders on my Facebook feed of the last few weeks of Lacy's life.  The last year, I took a picture of him every week.  I wanted to make sure I could remember him, and the good - and bad - times we had together. I feel a sense of dread about May 28.  I am thankful that it falls on Memorial Day, so we will not have to go to work.  I am also thankful that we took every opportunity to spend time with him.  The last time was 5pm on May 27, 2016.  Nine hours later, he was gone. As I drove away from the nursing home that evening, a scripture popped into my head:  ...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection... (Philippians 3:10) That power has sustained us for nearly two years.
Read more