I’m sitting here, stunned. I see just how many of my blogs
are focused on a single inner landscape feature: the powerful sense of gratitude. Feeling
self-focused and wondering why this is such a pervasive theme for me (beyond
the obvious good fortune of my life), I realize that this is prevalent in my
outer landscape as well. I am hearing
others tell me about the good fortune of their lives, the ways in which
their lives have been transformed, are blessed, the large and small things for
which they offer silent prayers of appreciation each day.
I recall to memory a recent conversation with a classroom of
young adults: holding the decades-old thesaurus
in my hands, I bestow the virtues of a book that offers synonyms for the ordinary
words of our day. (“You can spice up your writing with very little effort!” I
exclaim.) I see the look of ennui on a few faces, the look of surprise on
others. But mostly, I am reminded that there are other words for gratitude and
I look them up in my yellow-paged thesaurus:
Gratefulness… thankfulness… appreciation… sense of
obligation… feeling beholden… indebted… recognition… thank offering…
acknowledgment… thanksgiving… grace… responsiveness… appreciativeness… awareness…
testimonial… thanks… tribute… mindfulness…
Then I realize that in the past twenty-four hours alone, I
have heard (or re-read) from loved ones and friends, even from a few strangers,
MANY exclamations of gratitude:
“I’m so glad that…”
“That’s a real gift.”
“I know that this is so hard for him, causing so much
stress; so I am happy to be able to help out since it makes his life that much easier.”
“Today is a great day for the ‘grateful and appreciative…beauty
and joy.’”
I “revel in…”
“The
ruby-throated hummingbirds had serenaded me with a soft buzz and a ceremonious
morning dance!!!! What a way to start my Friday!!!”
“I’m thrilled to have this day…”
“You
make my job so easy and rewarding, my friend.”
“Love
is grand.”
“Thank
you”
Thank
you. Simple words for a very big idea.
If you have no idea why I’m writing this, or how you might carve out a little gratitude for yourself right now…try this: make a gratitude list. Yes, I’ve written this before. Any old scrap of paper will do; or use a beautiful handcrafted sheet that you can later frame. It doesn’t matter. What counts is putting it down, making tangible the recognition of goodness that is in the ether. In times of trouble and despair, hopelessness and destruction, unsolvable dilemmas and pain, torture, death…a simple written list can remind us that there is, indeed, much for which we can choose to be grateful.
Gratitude
is a choice. Gratitude does not deny
the ugly and uncomfortable realities that are challenging, threatening, begging
for acceptance. But gratitude can aid us in that acceptance. It can uphold us,
support us, help us to open to a wider perspective. It is a practice of remembering.
All blog photographs taken by Jennifer J. Wilhoit unless otherwise noted.
