Truly the experience of grace and the feeling of gratitude emerges from a place within us that can't really be touched in any sort of concrete way. It is, like love, one of those things that just hits us--often like a ton of bricks. You know what I'm talking about --it descends...'like the Holy Spirit' (my mom would often say this).
You look around, you experience...what?..... a transcendence. Maybe you sigh, and say, "I am so grateful for...." whatever it is! Or whomever it may be! But whatever it is...I can almost guarantee it's not "this couch!" OR "this set of perfect dishes," or these "500 thread-count sheets"! Pardon me to those who may disagree.
Usually for me these bright glimpses of gratitude are momentary and almost always involve either people or nature.
This Thanksgiving, I soul search for a new thing to be thankful for. There are the usual, commonplace, yet wonderful, normal things that always surface annually: family, friends, health, a roof over our heads, a house still worth more than the mortgage left on it-- despite the many re-financings.
This time, this year, I will be thankful for the sorrows that have taught me life lessons, the dark days that have turned lighter at dawn; I will look for beauty in the ugliest and most mundane places, and give thanks for the small. The small can be quite tall. Small steps can take us to beautiful places. And beauty certainly leads us down a path of grace to gratitude, and thanks for all, for every breath, for life!
Happy Thanksgiving, All!
