I say it a lot.
Maybe because I need to remember it myself.
That Thank you is our first and best prayer.
And, gratitude transforms our lives and the lives of those around us.
So, today…
Here are ten things for which I am grateful.
- The doctors and medical staff who could repair my shoulder and keep me from being partially disabled.
- For my dog who pushes her nose under my hand and her body onto my lap.
- For this afternoon’s nap.
- For all those who added their piece that we could provide a safe place to sleep for those in our community who needed it this winter.
- For my children who are wonderful parents and partners and amazing young adults.
- For the luxury of dreaming about tomorrow.
- For the students who we will meet this week and consider for a college scholarship. Students who have overcome so much and yet have the courage to reach for a better tomorrow.
- For my wife, who in more ways than I can name sustains my life.
- For being here today.
- For this next breath….right now.
What are the ten things you would put on your list today?
Amy Miller says
October 2, 2017 at 9:08 pmMy daughter’s first-year roommate at Grinnell College started a tradition they’ve kept along with 2 other friends for the past 6 years. Each night, no matter where they are laying their heads, they text each other three things they are grateful for. They call them “our gratefuls”. In the fall of 2014 they were scattered across the globe; Delhi, India; Norway; Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The gratefuls continued with an ocassional nudge, I’m told.
I’m sure it is what helped them get through a rigorous course of study and become 4 amazingly diverse, interesting, smart women each making a difference in her community and leading joy-filled lives. Sarah, my daughter, and Jasmine, the wise-beyond-her-years’ first-year roommate, and their best friends Angela & Madeline all landed jobs in St. Paul Minnesota. They are a force to be reckoned with.
I am so grateful for them.
Paul Alcorn says
October 3, 2017 at 9:45 amWhat a great idea and discipline. At the beginning of the year I tried to write down three or four things I was grateful for, but the practice soon got lost in the busyness of each day, but if there were one or two others who I made a commitment to text that would help. That idea may become a Sunday sermon. Thank you. And thank you to your daughter and her friends. What a gift!