The western sky emits a pinkish hue as the dusting of snow brightens the landscape on this cold winter morning. Another storm is predicted to arrive tomorrow with potentially ominous amounts of snow in its path. The normal chatter of crows in the field is absent as even the birds seem to be hovering close to maintain their warmth. Sunshine is predicted for the day to precede the downpour of snow. We cherish the brightness before the storm. As prepared as we know to be for what may come, we settle in for routine chores and tasks required of residents in the old farm house. Still waking from the shadow of a hard night’s sleep, this unwilling host to Parkinson’s disease contemplates the need for gratitude versus rumination in the presence of stiffness, rigidity, and lumbar pain. Focus on the unwanted only heaps on layers of stress and underlying anger at “my state” whereas intentional focus on thoughts of gratitude lifts me from a place of potential despair to one of peace. Crude and trite thoughts of thankfulness that embrace the notion that “it could be worse” or “look at what others experience” have little foundation upon which this journeyman may rest. Instead, genuine expressions of thankfulness for the victories in challenges past and yet to come serve as fertile soil in which hope may grow and a harvest of gratitude may be gathered. Recognizing this life as a process of living out one’s core of faith rather than the simple experience of an event renders a vista to a whole new landscape. This traveler is discovering the joy of living in the light of gratitude in this journey that is life!
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