An Attitude of Gratitude

At the beginning of the year, I made a resolution to work on my Gratitude.

I've done this through 2 means this year:
1) a gratitude journal - this is a small spiral bound art journal I carry with me. I've drawn pictures, written anywhere from a sentence to a paragraph,  and included notes I've received from friends, to which I leave a reflection if why I'm grateful for them.

2) 365 Thankful - a project I first found on the internet, the challenge is to take 1 picture a day of something or someone for which we are thankful.

Now that the year is drawing to a close, it's time to reflect on this for a while.

There are so many small things, wonderful things, in my life and in my world. Singly, they don't seem like much, but all together, they add up to a beautiful day. From the gloriously changing leaves on the trees, to the person in the parking lot who lets you know that the air in your tires looks low to the unexpected gift of a tea bag from a friend, each small thing is a bright spot in my day. I like to share those bright spots with others whenever I can, and help them to have a moment of joy in an unexpected place.

For me, the picture project has been the most powerful. I am a visual learner, and the visual power of the images has truly made me think about my life. I have pictures of the altar at church. Hundreds of pictures of my husband & kids. Some pictures of my Mom, and many pictures involving nature.  Gods world, his creation, in all of its glory. It sustains me, provides me with everything I need to live, and provides us with riotous beauty every single day - day in and day out.

There are times when I fall into complaining and whining about my life, or the current moment I find myself in.  Even in the midst of the bad, I try to remind myself of the good.

Mom & I were engaging in some of this recently.  She was in a nursing home/ rehab facility for a week. She was very low, and feeling very sorry for herself. I took her down the hall to get a change in scenery, and we sat with a couple of other families who were their with their loved ones. Many of the other residents were younger than Mom, but they had more serious problems. 1 gentleman was recovering from a stroke. He had lost control of his right arm, but was telling us how thankful he was that he was still able to speak & eat. He was working hard on learning how to use a fork with his left hand. Another woman, similar in age to my mom had fallen and broken her hip.  The devastation from a broken hip is significant. She was complaining about the pain, the fact that she couldn't walk, and the bathroom situation - she was at the mercy of others to get her on & off a bedpan - and she had to wear a diaper because of incontinence issues.  But, as we were talking, she kept telling us that she was going to her great granddaughters wedding, and that she was going to find someone to dance with her at the wedding!

As Mom tooled back down the hall with her walker, she was very quiet. When we arrived in her room, she said something we've been praying we would hear for over 8 weeks.

"I am very fortunate. I don't know why I lived through this when others have died of this. But, I still have all of my mental capabilities.  I can still walk. My cataracts have been fixed & I can see well again.  I can go back to my own house and live on my own. I don't have to stay here. I might have to poop in a bag for the rest of my life, but honestly, that really isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things."

Gratitude.  It's an attitude.