Gratitude

Have you ever prayed so hard for a situation in your life to go a certain way and then had it go the opposite direction? At the time the opposite direction feels like a failure. You think you are a failure and you are kicking yourself and you are angry that your prayer was not answered. We have all been there. The interesting part is when what seemed so wrong, suddenly becomes all right. The unanswered prayer many times is our answer.

I find myself wondering how to be grateful when there seems little to be grateful for and then the phone rings or an email comes from a friend. There is a cold frozen breeze outside and the sun sparkles on the snow and I realize that the sun has lightened my steps. I feel lonely and my dog Roxanne jumps in my lap and shares her puppy love with me. Sometimes it is the little things that give me the boost I need to get over the hump, by looking for gratitude in the unexpected.

Last night I asked my husband Mark what he was grateful for from the day. I had expected him to say something like, you, or my life, but instead he said "spaghetti". I laughed out loud realizing that having spaghetti for dinner had made his day. My gratitude yesterday came from spending time with a dear friend that I had not seen in sometime, reconnecting and reaffirming that our friendship was something special.

While I am grateful for the life I live and the blessings I have been given, it is easy to lose sight of those things when you are knee deep in life. The daily grind of everyday living can wear you down until you no longer see anything worth being grateful for. I have decided to challenge myself to look for moments of gratitude in each day. Some gratitude's will be small seemingly insignificant moments like spaghetti. But it is those small moments when there is a whisper of snow glistening in the sun or snuggle from your dog that you get a glimpse of joy. That joy that small moment in time is worth grabbing on to and recognizing, if for no other reason than to keep you focused on your blessings.

Today as you step out into your life remember that the prayer you are saying may go the way you hope it will or it just might go in a different more blessed direction. Be open to the path your life takes and be prepared to be grateful regardless of the direction. While you are pondering your gratitude's take a minute to write them down. At the end of the day that one small glimmer of grace might be all that carries you the distance.

So, what are you grateful for today?