What are you grateful for right now? Where do you have gratitude that is
unexpected? How has the practice of gratitude helped you through
turbulent, stressful events and times?

My gratitude this year is centered on people in my life.

  • My brother, who is taking care of my aging, ailing parents. He is there when they have a crisis and need the support of medical professionals. He is there when they have a crisis that just needs some loving, physical attention. He is there when a care giver is potentially exposed to COVID and he needs to suddenly fill her schedule with someone else. He is there.
  • My sister, who backs up my brother in care. She lives about 45 minutes away from my parents, and can be there when he needs to take one to the ER and the other needs to stay home. I am 8 hours away by car, and really can’t be there on short notice, so I am grateful that we have two layers of support.
  • The fact that my parents are still alive. They may be fading out, but they are still there. I *think* I am ready for the inevitable, but how can I really know until it actually happens.
  • My wife, who picks up a lot of the routine tasks of living, especially financial. She is the one who negotiated refinancing our mortgage. She is the one who negotiated getting long term care insurance. Both of these involved lots of time on the phone, and lots of time on hold. She brings flowers into the house, and hugs into my life. 
  • My religious community, who continue to be there, week upon week. Who made the transition to online worship with hardly a glitch. Who have created new opportunities to connect on a regular basis. And who let me know about the joys and troubles of friends in community. 
  • My neighbors. The one who regularly bakes goodies and puts them on her porch for all to share. The ones who share how they are thriving or struggling in this strange time. The ones who say “hi” when we pass (appropriately distanced) on the sidewalk. The ones who figured out how to have a great neighborhood Halloween celebration while remaining safe from the virus. The ones who write birthday greetings on their sidewalk in chalk for neighbors’ children. The ones who make this a neighborhood.
  • All of you, who continue to contribute your experience, strength, and hope. Whether you have sent me an email or a voicemail; or have participated as a guest in the podcast. I am grateful to you, because I really could not keep on going without your support.

Thank you, also, to those listeners who shared their gratitude in this episode.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.