To list everything that is wrong about life as we know it, we could easily grab a pen and write until that pen ran out of ink. Correct? There are seemingly innumerable problems and even terrible things about life. However, if we took time to write a list of all that is good about life, I believe we would need an inexhaustible pen to make such a list.
The idea of making these two lists gets me thinking about all I've been going through for as long as I can recall. Problem after problem. When I stop to count up simply a slice of it, it seems unbelievable how unfortunate life has been . . . nevertheless . . . nevertheless, life has been breathtakingly good.
Love has been terrible yet infinitely more beautiful than I could ever anticipate. I count on it surprising me even further before I die. Motherhood has brought me to my knees in grief but also in perfect joy. My children are my hope and love personified. Learning has been a torturous affair even though it is one of my favorite things that drives me to keep going. Being part of a family has been, in part, one of the worst aspects of my existence, but, cutting out the horrible times, I attest to the absolute heaven on earth that family life can be and has been for me during most of my life. Family is everything despite the worst of times.
There is so much more to write. I can hardly wrap my mind around all the good things about this life of mine. There is so much good. I am filled to the brim with words to write for this list. Laughter, friendship, ice cream, prayer, sunrises, sunsets, a perfect song at just the right moment in a movie, forgiveness, truth, comfort, embraces you didn't expect, light in the darkness, rain on a hot summer day, snow on Christmas Eve, wishes thrown into a fountain, love you can count on, nice cars, good food shared with family and friends, board games, spirituality bringing you closer to who you are, visitors, traveling, safety, home, photographs of favorite moments and people, a nice bed, pillows, clean water, cotton candy, watermelon, ribeye steaks and beef ribs, central air, dandelion tufts scattering wishes disguised as weed seeds, a hand to hold, the love of others.
Even if I ran out of ink, I could write forever of these things, for I write them in my heart.
The idea of making these two lists gets me thinking about all I've been going through for as long as I can recall. Problem after problem. When I stop to count up simply a slice of it, it seems unbelievable how unfortunate life has been . . . nevertheless . . . nevertheless, life has been breathtakingly good.
Love has been terrible yet infinitely more beautiful than I could ever anticipate. I count on it surprising me even further before I die. Motherhood has brought me to my knees in grief but also in perfect joy. My children are my hope and love personified. Learning has been a torturous affair even though it is one of my favorite things that drives me to keep going. Being part of a family has been, in part, one of the worst aspects of my existence, but, cutting out the horrible times, I attest to the absolute heaven on earth that family life can be and has been for me during most of my life. Family is everything despite the worst of times.
There is so much more to write. I can hardly wrap my mind around all the good things about this life of mine. There is so much good. I am filled to the brim with words to write for this list. Laughter, friendship, ice cream, prayer, sunrises, sunsets, a perfect song at just the right moment in a movie, forgiveness, truth, comfort, embraces you didn't expect, light in the darkness, rain on a hot summer day, snow on Christmas Eve, wishes thrown into a fountain, love you can count on, nice cars, good food shared with family and friends, board games, spirituality bringing you closer to who you are, visitors, traveling, safety, home, photographs of favorite moments and people, a nice bed, pillows, clean water, cotton candy, watermelon, ribeye steaks and beef ribs, central air, dandelion tufts scattering wishes disguised as weed seeds, a hand to hold, the love of others.
Even if I ran out of ink, I could write forever of these things, for I write them in my heart.
I love your gratitude list! My nightly gratitude journaling often includes my washer and dryer, comfy bed, healthy family (and access to medical care), and sometimes even a day without chipping my nail polish. Thanks for the reminder of beautiful things today.
ReplyDeleteOh, to live always in the balance— filled with gratitude for all the good while keenly aware of the bad. That awarenes makes gratitude all the sweeter. Here’s to your pen always being full of ink.
ReplyDeleteRibeye steaks!
ReplyDelete