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I’ve been thinking about gratitude lately – and how it changes things. For years I have kept a “Gratitude Journal”. At the end of each day I jot down five things that I am grateful for. Often they are little things like “warm chocolate chip cookies and cold milk”, or “my little dog Libby Lu”. Sometimes they are much larger, like being a “Beloved child of God” or “being part of a church family that shows compassion for each other.”
Today a song is running through my head. John Bucchino has written the words that resonate in my heart in “Grateful”.
Let me share the lyrics with you.
I’ve got a roof over my head. I’ve got a warm place to sleep. Some nights I lie awake counting gifts instead of counting sheep. I’ve got a heart that can hold love. I’ve got a mind that can think. There may be times when I lose the light and let my spirits sink. But I can’t stay depressed when I remember how I’m blessed. Grateful, grateful, truly grateful I am. Grateful, grateful, truly blessed and duly grateful.
In a city of strangers I’ve got a family of friends. No matter what rocks and brambles fill the way I know that they will stay in the end. I feel a hand holding my hand, it’s not a hand you can see. But on this road to the Promised Land this hand will shepherd me. Through delight and despair holding tight and always there. Grateful, grateful, truly grateful I am. Grateful, grateful, truly blessed and duly grateful.
It’s not that I don’t want a lot, or hope for more, or dream of more. But giving thanks for what I’ve got makes me so much happier than keeping score. In a world that can bring pain, I will still take each chance. For I believe that whatever the terrain our feet can learn to dance. Whatever stone life may sling, we can moan or we can sing. Grateful, grateful, truly grateful I am. Grateful, grateful, truly blessed and duly grateful.
I Thessalonians puts it this way:
Never stop praying. Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do. 5:17-18
I’m grateful for each of you. Karen |
