Gratitude Unlocks the Fullness of Life

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. 

It turns what we have into 

enough, and more. 

It turns denial into acceptance,

 chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

 It can turn a meal into a feast, 

a house into a home, 

a stranger into a friend. 

Gratitude makes sense out 

of the past, brings peace for today, 

and creates a vision for tomorrow." 

Melody Beattie 

        I have learned through the years to be thankful for a good day.  It wasn't always so.  When I was a young woman there were no "good" days or "bad" days.  There were just days stretching forward endlessly.  Work to do, schedules to be adhered to, and errands to run.

        Then Life started to trip me up.  Literally.  The first time it happened I was 37 and rushing to get our luggage out to the truck as we were getting ready to leave for a friend's wedding. In my hurry I did not see the innocent little magnolia tree cone lying in my path.  The next thing I knew I was down on my knees on the hard concrete.

        This injury, led a few days later to me developing some serious blood clots in my right leg.  The damage to my leg and circulation never completely healed.  Then after coming here to Georgia, at age 45, I was having a great deal of unexplained pain and weakness which turned out to be fibromyalgia.  Shortly thereafter, I broke several vertebrae. It was then discovered I had severe osteoporosis in my thoracic spine.  Then came a painful shoulder injury, osteoarthritis in my hands and fingers, and bursitis of the hip. 

         My litany of problems are certainly not uncommon for women of my age but they can affect how we approach just about everything in life.  Chronic pain has now become a constant companion. At first, it can really knock you off your feet.  It is quite a balancing act and learning process.  There are days of over doing, and days of under doing.  Then just about the time we think we have figured it out and are living in the "sweet spot, we face another major challenge.

        There are many ways to survive chronic pain.  But to survive it and still manage to thrive takes gratitude.  Gratitude helps us foremost not to give up.  It helps us to hold on to that little spark of fire that makes us uniquely us. 

        Chronic pain often causes a "big" life to suddenly become very small.   Gratitude helps me to be a woman who is in and of the moment.  Instead of looking at life through a telescope, we switch to a magnifying glass.  Often with this new way of seeing things we are opened up to a world of beauty we would have otherwise missed.  Autumn always reminds me of this.

        Early Autumn in the south is subtle. Like the splash of a snapping turtle in the pond, and a morning rooster crowing in the mist.  It is the crunch of acorns underfoot.  The smell of fresh crayons and just sharpened pencils.  It is a new notebook, with clean pages awaiting the touch of untold stories.  

         I hope your day is filled with gratitude and the beauty of small, intricate and unexpected things.  And, I hope this brings you peace.