gratitude
A fire like glow emerged over the eastern landscape as dawn made her way into the morning. Night had passed along with random dreams and the cocoon-like warmth between the covers. With a new day came gratitude as memories of the week past flooded this grandpa’s mind. The crystal blue waters of the Caribbean embracing our granddaughter as she held hand to fin with a dolphin in Cozumel; the smile on her face as she dove once again into the cruise ship’s pool with the friends she had made the first evening aboard that ship each gave me pause to be thankful for vicariously sharing her joy. Lifelong memories were created in her experiences and some life sustaining memories enrich “Poppi’s” recollection today. Memories become all the richer as we celebrate today the birth of our son thirty years ago. The contentment on his little face as he peered from the cozy blanket in which he was wrapped upon his arrival in New York still fills us with grateful joy to be a part of his wonderful and thriving life. Every one of our children and grandchildren are blessings with which we lift grateful hearts for their presence in our lives. A journey filled with gratitude lights the path toward the future as we thankfully take each step toward tomorrow.
Sun brightens the day as the wind brings much welcomed warmth to the farmland. The goats and chickens revel in the sprigs of fresh grass emerging from the still chilled but moist earth. Grubs, earthworms and tiny blossoms serve as the foundation for orange rich yokes in the freshly laid eggs. Trees and shrubs are sending forth their springtime buds that will soon blossom into full flowers bearing witness to spring’s arrival. We wholeheartedly embrace the new found warmth knowing that yet more days of deep chill are yet to manifest themselves. Even so, we greet this warm reprieve with a mind filled with gratitude. Thankful for relief from the icy cold of winter, we enjoy that which is today’s gift. We are reminded in the throes of untoward symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that relief of rigidity and resting tremor comes and goes like the change in seasons. A grateful heart greets the relief of symptoms as surely as the budding daffodils greet the warmth of spring.
A steady drizzle descends upon the nearly saturated fields. Birds previously gorging on emerging earthworms find sustenance elsewhere. The humidity when combined with temperatures in the low forties embraces one with a chill to the bone. An assertion that we’ve had enough cold weather does nothing to bring about a change. The rain’s steady beat continues as the clouds surrender their heavy load upon the countryside. Knowing that “this too shall pass” gives reason for thankfulness and hope, but does nothing to satiate the desire for warmer climes and bright sunshine to fill the daylight hours. When unwanted and unwelcomed symptoms of PD emerge, even in the face of full medication, we assert that we’ve had enough of the pain and stiffness that impedes our otherwise purposeful activities. Assertions alone do not drive away the passing through of the clouds of symptoms that have to “work their course” toward at least partial restoration. Experience has shown that “this too shall pass” with knowledge that the presence of symptoms must be endured. A heaping helping of thankfulness from the table of gratitude helps to stoke the fires of hope that warm the heart.
The glistening sun shining bright on the browned landscape conveyed the impression that warmth had finally come to the air around us. A stark cold snapped us firmly as we ventured from the warmth of the farmhouse into the bright but deceptive sunshine. Today the bright light of the sun is hidden behind the invading clouds that hover above, giving the impression of cold and foreboding weather outside. An embrace of warmer air when stepping from the door corrects the temperature misperception. It seems that in this time of season change the temperature may not always be as it appears from behind the insulated panes of the window looking out. Symptoms of Parkinson’s seem to act at times like that of the deceptive weather being viewed from a place of insulated experience. All things seem normal and calm, but when challenged with movement, resistance may show its ugly head. From my vantage point, the destination seems clear and straight ahead. The reality of movement disorders and the ever challenging dopamine depletion gives enlightenment in a different experience and the destination is not so easily achieved. Just as stoking the wood into the old stove helps keep the indoors warm, timely and routine ingestion of dopamine replacement helps to modulate agility and involuntary movement. Frustration invades the undertaking of tasks that are movement challenged and impeded. For times when freedom of movement seems restored in part if not in whole, brings forth a sense of gratitude. What had for so many years been taken for granted is now an opportunity to experience thankfulness for realizing it was and is a gift from the Creator!
White patches dot the landscape as remnants of the last snow storm remind us that winter is not yet over. Fog permeates the field of vision as cold snow and earth collide with warmer moist air moving through our region. Predictions of spring like temperatures squeezing out rain are followed with those of sub-freezing climes for the following week. As nature behaves as is her way we attempt to keep the small environment in which we live steady in our preferred way. We cannot bring on summer in the outside environment, but with the help of petroleum and dried wood we can create a comfortable space in which the ravages of winter are not present. As PD symptoms begin to ratchet their winter like presence, intensifying pain, stiffness, and tremor, we know that we cannot as yet eliminate the cause. We have made friends with this physiological season in which we live, but we also strive to create an environment in which those “seasonal” challenges do not become the rule. Gratefully, medication and exercise provide the fuel that helps to moderate the environment making the “living” space more inviting. Maintaining a mind embraced with thankfulness enables it to look beyond the symptoms of constraint into the field of hope that is a new season. May the season in which you reside be one that brings hope embraced in the arms of gratitude.
She sprang from the door to pounce on the frozen white covering of the back yard. What had yesterday been a powdery white snow had become overnight a sheet of ice, resistant to the paws of a playful Golden Retriever. Soon she got her grip to frolic over the frigid ground cover that would lead her to her desired spot in the yard. Silence reigned in these early hours of the frozen morn uninviting even to the crows usually foraging for sustenance. Adaptation to change has been necessary for survival. When physiological change takes place one adapts to that change. Whether a positive or negative adaptation is engaged is ultimately the decision of the one challenged. Seldom does anger, frustration, resistance, or withdrawal lead to a healthy adaptation. Each may have its motivating genesis, but seldom will either lead to an outcome of a thriving nature. Gratitude for the opportunity to engage actions that will build adaptive strength and vigor leads to greater understanding of what those adaptive strengths are. Acceptance that change has occurred bridled with thankfulness for options that embrace new ways of adjusting to that change lay the foundation upon which a thriving life may be upheld.
The winding country road seemed barren this morning as the old farm truck made its way to the edge of the city for some storm preparation shopping. A crowded parking lot rendered evidence that I was not alone in a last minute quest for storm ready staples. With a list in hand the aisles were navigated with single minded intent. So many of the employees are familiar and each expressed a welcoming hello. Since school was cancelled in anticipation of the coming snow storm, there was no poverty of youngsters shouting requests to parents or guardians. I laughed out loud as one little boy announced to his mother; “Mama, I know what I want now – a box of ice cream cones.” As we grow older some things seem to remain the same. We see an item or hear about a venue and suddenly we are sure then of what we want. Sometimes what we desire is beyond our reach, even though we’ve had it before. Freedom from the burden of PD is a heartfelt desire and there are moments when the experience is almost realized. Suddenly or sometimes slowly the symptoms reemerge and one is reminded that freedom was temporary or short lived. Nevertheless, we are thankful for those moments that become hours and ultimately days when marginal, if not full, freedom from the confines of disease are experienced. A grateful heart is the seed from which the desire for symptom free living grows. Symptom treatment and prophylactic exercise provide the nutrients for that growth. My pot of thankfulness was filled with fertile seeds this morning!
As the sun sheds its cloud filtered glow from the east, the frost covered fields glisten in response. The lone plow stands rusted as it casts its shadow and unknowingly waits for the recycling heap. Its past has been fraught with red clay laden fields as it dug through the grass or leftover crops performing its task of “turning” the soil in preparation for early planting. Gone are its days of usefulness at its intended purpose and new will be its destiny as it becomes transformed into one or more useful objects at recycling. One does not grieve the giving up of the plow, but rather rejoices in the time of usefulness over so many years. Thankfulness for its utility supersedes the thoughts of its loss from the rusty metal which stands waiting midst the frost clad field. Gratitude is a strong antidote for the perception of loss with change. The day changes to night and we give thanks for the light that brightens our path. Night changes to day and we give thanks for a time where rest has been undertaken and renewal may be undertaken in its light. A hearty expression of gratitude lays a firm foundation for building a healthy new day!
As the plane taxied along the runway toward our arrival gate, the anticipation within the cabin was palpable. It seemed everyone was eager to disembark the vessel that had brought us from the chill of winter in North Carolina to the warmth of winter in South Florida. Slowly, row by row each passenger vacated the plane to emerge in a crowded mass of humanity, most of whom were taking with them the memories (fond or otherwise) of the cruise that had just ended. For this limping traveler, the crowd that seemed to not know where it was or where it was going was a challenge through which to navigate. Soon we were descending the escalator to claim bags that contained our possessions for the week ahead. As the crowd seemed to swell I reminded myself that there was much for which to be thankful. Gratitude for the opportunity to travel those hundreds of miles in such a short time and to be brought safely to the destination we had chosen. As I observed others I whispered words of thanks for their safe arrival and expressed silent wishes for their continued safety on their journey. As we met our granddaughter rushing to guide us to the waiting car outside the terminal we were filled with the joy that comes from a heart of gratitude. Thankfulness helps to make every potential challenge an opportunity to discover the blessing that is life!
The pond glistens beneath the bright sunlit sky as the smell of burning hardwood wafts from the chimney. Forest and fields are alive with the chatter of birds as the temperature yields a brief winter reprieve. Even the rooster exercises his lungs to notify all of his mastery of the flock as they scratch the pasture ground for morsels of tasty seed or grubs. In the sunlit stillness of the day one cannot help but marvel at the grandeur of the Master’s creation. Even a brief encounter with the out of doors on this cool and bright day inspires this life participant to give thanks for the joy of this life lived out. A heart filled with gratitude is the filter through which this day is viewed. May your lens be brightened by the light of grace and thankfulness.