The new year always brings out a desire to pay homage to those things that I am most grateful for, but I find myself easily overwhelmed when thinking of the bigger picture...
So, rather than large terms and grandiose gestures I will start with today.
Today, I am grateful for my husband...magnanimous, rebellious, compassionate, and rowdy.
I am grateful for my family...my children. Little Man, my oldest, holds within him the capacity for love, maturity and understanding that are well beyond what he should be able to hold at his age. I appreciate that he is willing to be a Little Man when we need him too. Tooter, the baby, is a cuddler who even at 2.5 has a limited capacity for language, but one of his main words is OK. He always asks if we are "OK?" when we sneeze, fall, cough, or even when we are frustrated. He perceives the potential for pain or sadness and asks because he loves.
...and my extended family, crazy though they are. We are more than the sum of our parts. Chaos and love can exist together to create a unique and stirring harmony.
I am grateful for my three best friends...women of such grace and dignity that provide me with endless hours of laughter and tears asking nothing more in return.
Questions for today...
What transition is necessary to turn a hardened heart into a soft and grateful one?
Is that a transition that any of us can truly help another person achieve, or is it a singular experience?
Can we forget to be grateful and remain compassionate, or is being grateful a prerequisite for appreciating and understanding the human condition?
I think it is hard to do that on your own - you almost always need somebody else who is compassionate that can show you the way :)
ReplyDeleteI am thinking you have to be right. While our primary means of socialization remains the family, we can through religion, school, and community participation provide examples and outreach to children to help them discover gratitude early. The real challenge remains how to help adults that have become jaded and hardened by life experiences.
ReplyDeleteWhere do we go from there?