Gratitude - Day 20

To know when you have enough is to be rich beyond measure.
Lao Tsu

The grizzly bear awakes, feeling a tad less sleepy but still rather grumpy. I'm not sure what's going on. Usually a nap, or two, or three, can revitalize my good humor. Truth be told I'm most likely just feeling sorry for myself, tired of trying to change what obviously cannot be changed. Whine. Whine. Whine. It was better, I'm sure that I secluded myself.

Yesterday in the periods of wakefulness between snoozes, I lay in bed counting my blessings. It helped I think. I'm thankful for, I said to no one but me:
  • the house I'm in (the one which is currently being pressure washed and turning yellow/white polka dotted)
  • the bedroom in the house I'm in
  • the bed in the bedroom in the house I'm in
  • the sheets on the bed in the bedroom in the house I'm in
  • the pillow on the bed I'm in the bedroom in the house I'm in
  • the quilt over the sheets on the bed in the bedroom in the house I'm in
  • the black cat sleeping with me on the bed in the bedroom in the house I'm in
  • ..... and so on.
After dinner, before turning in for the night, I received a phone call from the Project Director of The Southwest Indian Foundation. We worked out the details so we can include some of the Navajo reservation hospitals in our Child Guild of the Christ layette donations. I was telling him what we include in the shoebox and the conversation turned to diapers. Most of the women on the reservation, he told me, used Pampers because they don't have water nearby for washing cloth diapers. They have to haul it in.

Excuse me, but we were talking about America, not a third-world country. No heat? No electricity? No clean water? My selfish, pea-sized, whiny heart cracked open. Today I will add to my list. I am thankful for:
  • The polka-dot house I live in
  • The electricity in the house I live in
  • The water in the house I live in
  • The central H/A in the house I live in
  • The washer/dryer/dishwasher, bathtub, and sprinkler system at the house I live in

Mr. Esparza also told me just what needed to hear, "even with everything you hear on the news, people are good." I was glad for the reminder of one of my own beliefs.

Gratitude, I'm learning, is not just about knowing what I have. It's also about being aware of what other's don't have. The awareness increases my gratitude and makes me more generous to others.

Wishing for you eyes to see all the blessings in your midst and a heart that's open to the plight of others,

Merry ME

Comments

Molly said…
is the polka dot thing intentional? because i've found it a cheerful thought. i lived on a street with a big pink house and a purple door. it housed a mom and her 3 daughters. after the surprise wore off, it was a very cheerful looking house.

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