Project Gratitude: Week 3

Hi all,

Not sure about you, but I feel like I am living in the upside-down.  Don’t know what that is?  My point exactly.

No one could have known of the additional burdens we would carry this Lenten season.  The hardships of homeschooling, working from home, self-quarantining, toilet paper hoarding, and compulsive hand-sanitizing.  There’s too much news.  Not enough news.  Too much togetherness.  Not enough togetherness.  It would be easy to list grievances instead of gratitude.  Still, in all the viral mess that has come from this pandemic, I am reminded of the many things that I have to be grateful for.  I hope you are too.

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” 

~ Meister Eckhart

LENT DAY 15:  I am thankful for journalism.  Truthtellers.  Investigators.  Facts.  No bias and no bull.  It doesn’t always happen, but it is a great service when it does.  When we are better informed, we make better decisions; we make better citizens and communities.    Preserving the integrity of truth is paramount to a civilized society.

 

 

LENT DAY 16: I am thankful for hard conversations. Having an honest and uncomfortable conversation allows us to have healthier and more enjoyable relationships. Our feelings matter. Smushing down anger, hurt, and disappointment is like trying to deflate a balloon by sitting on it. It pops before it flattens. By letting go of our burdens, we are free to rise.

 

 

LENT DAY 17: I am thankful for food.  I hate being hungry.  Those who are around me hate when I am hungry too.  Still, I sometimes forget to be grateful for the abundance of food I have access too; the way it brings me together with people I love; and how it nourishes me so that I may live fully.

Now, if only I didn’t have to cook it!

 

LENT DAY 18: I am thankful for faith.  Schools, public events, and virtually life as we know it are under quarantine.  What a comfort it is to have faith that God will protect us, that his will for us is good, and that regardless of life’s uncertainty, we can turn to him during difficult times. Have faith that humankind will do all they can to prevent the spread of the coronavirus by spreading acts of love instead.

In other words, share your toilet paper.

LENT DAY 19: I am thankful for the church.  An always open door; a haven of peace; a community of believers; a place of forgiveness. The church is unity with God so big that its walls do not separate it from the world, its windows cannot keep out its light, and its roofs will not contain its love.  The church is in the heart of every Christian.  Whether watching from home or in the pew, we are God’s church.

 

 

LENT DAY 20: I am thankful for my pets.  They are unconditional love wrapped in soft fur.  Blind to our shortcomings, pets only see the best of us.  They are loyal and trust us to be the same.  Unabashed in affection, they remind us to show love with the same zeal as their sloppy kisses, purring anthems, and lashing tail wags.  Perhaps, I would get more sleep without them, but I sleep better because of them.  They are family.

 

 

LENT DAY 21:  I am thankful for forgiveness.  When I am seeking it, forgiveness offers hope and redemption.  When I am offering it to someone else, forgiveness feels more like a splintering cross that is heavy and hard to move.  Both are essential to my salvation.  One can’t exist without the other.  If we are to be forgiven, we must forgive.  It’s the path of freedom and the path of forever.

 

 

What are you thankful for today?