A white haze occupies the meadow illuminated by the bright morning sun. Warm and more humid air has penetrated the landscape now basking in the stillness of the day. Fresh planted flowers seem to turn their buds eastward to consume the life giving glow of the sun. Life abounds all around as a reminder of the majesty of its creator. As I ponder the magnificence of His creation I cannot help but give thanks also for the creation that writes these words. Created from the joining of two gametes long ago and destined to be the recipient of an abundance of His blessings to face life’s challenges, this boomer reflects through the lens of gratitude. Though there are many different lenses through which one may reflect, gratitude framed in the orb of thankfulness yields a richness not found in any other. May the lens through which you view each moment of each day be the time tested and sparkling one of gratitude.
Birds are chirping and the fields glisten as the morning sun strikes the dew covered flora. The cool evening set the stage for a refreshing morning worthy of praise. Sizzling sausage patties yielded their fragrance as the fresh farm eggs were being beaten in preparation for a sumptuous breakfast. With toast and jam, sausage and eggs and a steaming cup of coffee, this day was off to a roaring start. It is not every day that we feast so abundantly in the morning. For today’s provisions and the physical fortitude to prepare, we are grateful. As we prepare to join others in worship of our creator we cannot help but be thankful for the supply of daily needs, the love of family and friends, and the sovereign care from the loving God. “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
The refreshing breeze of this spring morning makes the bright green leaves of the trees glow in the light of the new day. Rain from the previous day has doused the abundance of pollen for a while and rendered the air fresh and wholesome. A restful night’s sleep and a refreshed atmosphere enhanced by more flexible movement promises a day filled with physical productivity. Gratitude fills this heart as it supplies oxygen and nutrients to a willing body. Experience has taught that overenthusiastic activity on those feel good and flexible days can in short order render a body fraught with pain and stiffness. Today, moderation takes center stage as we enjoy the abundance of blessings and grace. Our thankfulness today is enhanced by the presence of glee at the absence of some pain and rigidity. May this grateful mind nurture the seeds of love that gives back to the great provider!
A morning mist rises from the pond as warm water meets the chill of the spring air. The starry sky from last evening has given way to the glowing bright sun streaking through the eastern sky. Nature is yet again showing her majesty as a reminder that we humans are not in control. Just three days ago, torrents of rain created a deluge soaking the already saturated soil. As this dawn arrived I began my day in prayerful thanks for life and the beauty and challenges that lie therein. Though frustrations sometimes abound this boomer finds reason for celebration of the opportunities to experience them and move forward through them. Difficulty buttoning a shirt or keeping a pace when walking or seemingly throbbing through every heartbeat does slow this youthful minded old codger down. Nevertheless, another day has arrived signaling victory in having lived through the challenges of yesterday and bearing hope for the victory of today. Gratitude truly is the well from which a life of opportunity is drawn each day. May your well never run dry!
Its brown hues reflect the morning light shining through the nearby windows. The scroll holds the pegs ever so gently these days as it serves as holder now strung to the wall. Years in Grandma’s attic left it exposed to several mouse nibbles that give it a rather “weathered” look. I was fourteen when first exposed to this instrument that had with it many tales of nights around the fire during my mother’s childhood. Grandpa Davis had played this melodic violin almost every evening in that old farm house with his wife and seven daughters humming tunes by his side. Now ninety years later this instrument hangs silently on a wall reflecting not melody but warm memories recalled from beside my mother’s knee. Gone are all the voices that hummed the tunes and gone are the hands that pressed the strings and moved the bow. Remaining are the instrument and the memories now being shared. After all these years a small instrument hanging on a wall in an old home is the spark that ignites fond and grateful memories from generations past. Gratitude now fills the vessel of memory as the joy of the past visits with the present. Each day is another opportunity to create fond memories that may inspire others.
A change in weather is predicted over the next few days with highs near seventy rather than the ninety degree temperatures we have been experiencing. This will be a welcomed change. Not all change is greeted with such enthusiasm. A dear friend recently left for an eternity in the arms of God. A loved cousin is battling multiples of ailments now as she patiently endures the caretaking at the local medical center. Producing my signature is an undertaking that previously required little thinking but now requires full attention to range of motion. Too much concentration on any one thing renders a trembling right hand that I’ve grown accustomed to humorously slapping back to attention. Sometimes change means loss and at other times change means to gain. Whether loss or gain change is a condition of life. Sometimes that change is met with grief and at other times it is met with joy. Gratitude for the journey is the fuel that propels the engine of faith that sustains us through the grief and lifts us in the joy. The charge given by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Thessalonica is wise; “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
The outline of the giant full moon shone grandly in the eastern sky. On the western front, the sun was setting behind the hills. Nature was showing herself to possess both day and night; light and darkness. One usually thinks in terms of one or the other but rarely does one ponder the presence of both. Rarely do we entertain the thought of wellness and disease (function and dysfunction) existing in the same plane, yet it is obvious that they do. There is the virtual constancy of death and new life on the biochemical and microbiological level. As function is perched on the precipice of dysfunction, the body is working to repair and or replace the faltering member. It only makes sense to fortify wellness so that the dis-ease that might amass may be dealt a swift blow and the forward moving fluid of the healing dance of life might be sustained. A grateful heart and mind help bring light in which the work of repair and replacement may be undertaken. The presence of desire does not preclude the presence of thankfulness – they may both exist in the same moment. May your world be enriched by the nutrients of gratitude as your desire for an abundance of thankfulness illuminates your day!
By: Cathy Garrott
Some days I do far better at coping with the frustrations of life with PD than I do other days. I guess that’s just a part of “normal” life. What used to be, is what I considered “normal,” but all of that has changed. And now I have a “new normal” to get used to and must learn how to cope with it. I’m not alone with this kind of feeling and challenge. My sister is trying to learn how to cope with the fact that she had a stroke, and her world is turned up-side-down from the “normal” she knew up until September of 2012. I am blessed with a caregiver who has looked into what I am dealing with, and in every way he can he seeks to help me adjust to doing as much as I am able to do. He acknowledges that I will never be the “normal” I was before the PD diagnosis, but walks with me in learning the way of my “new normal.” Some things I can deal with easily at this point, others I am learning to cope with day by day. Getting use to things as they are now, and letting go of what we were comfortable with before, is a challenge EVERY person faces … whether they realize it or not right now. It can be political, health wise, relationship, temporal, or eternal.Getting along with the changes I have faced, and will face in the future, is a challenge that every new day brings my way. I am glad that I am assured that I can do all things through Him who strengthens me!
Her smile always looked mischievous as she beamed with excitement. She glowed as she talked about her son and his achievements. You could almost see her grateful heart as she burst forth with tales of nieces and nephews that described both challenges and victories for them. We had gotten in the habit of having lunch each Thursday – an opportunity to try a new and different place and the sheer joy of sharing time together. Although just a few years younger than I she was my step niece. Her father had married my sister many years ago. Although both her Dad and my sister were long deceased, she and I still stayed in touch. She was the one steady long term friend here in this country place now called home. The voice message riddled with tears from her son caused my heart to skip. She had been in the critical care unit of the local medical center for the last few days but as of the morning before when I saw her was showing marked improvement. I dialed the number to hear the news that she had passed away the evening before. Her heart had stopped. He was in obvious emotional pain as he shared the events of the evening of his mother’s demise. Still caught in the grip of shock over her death I seek a place of gratitude for her life and what she has meant to so many in this community. Thankfulness for her place of peace and comfort now in the arms of her loving Savior gives solace to a heart torn by the loss of her presence here. The well from which the tears emerge has not yet been emptied, but the freshly planted crop of gratitude is having its thirst quenched. Thank you, God, for the times we shared!
Fog shrouds the landscape. As the day is dawning, warmer and moister air is laying claim in and through the forest canopy. Forecasters predict near record highs across the region as temperatures soar to near ninety. Just a few weeks ago we were caught firmly in the grip of winter’s freeze as she seemed reluctant to surrender to her spring master. It seems that bouts of excess crowd the procession of seasons, disrupting our projection of “normal.” Some prognosticators warn of even greater swings in weather as a result of human produced carbon emissions into the atmosphere. The answer seems simple but the journey to its solution is even longer and more complex than the road that led us this far. These new weather “symptoms” are requiring “different” accommodations. Similarly, these PD symptoms are requiring a different means of movement and exercise that “accommodate” this new normal. Although I cannot reverse this diseased journey my body has taken, I can learn new and different ways to negotiate the path now before me. Beyond the palpable exists the spiritual and emotional engine that drives forward each waking moment. True gratitude is the fuel that ignites this thankful vehicle for the journey that is each day. Today is another opportunity!
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