Being Thankful

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. - Miester Eckhart

Ice covered Queen Anne's Lace

It was pinned to a wall in the long term care facility where I worked.  One resident had decorated a card and wrote the quote across the page.  It was the quote that I wrote above.  My initial response?  Well, I thought,  "Really?  I don't think that life could be that simple."  But, I couldn't get the quote out of my mind.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized how little I was thankful for.  I was happy, don't get me wrong.  I am a happy person in general...but, thankful is different.  There was always something keeping me from being perfectly thankful..."one thing" that always wasn't right.
But now I understand.  The quote has immense value.  I can't tell you the exact moment that I understood....I think there were many moments along the way...but perhaps the greatest lesson was learned through one of the most difficult parts of my life...within a short period of time...I had a newborn, my husband had a brain tumor removed and was recovering...then unexpectedly, my little brother died of a heart condition, of which we were unaware...I felt alone...and trapped.  I woke up angry.  I went to sleep angry.  My thoughts during the day were full of anger at what life had delt.  I remember the moment that I just threw up my hands and said,"Why?!" And somehow in that moment...I began to see what I had...I had life.  I had a beautiful life.   I had a beautiful life, which I chose not to see, because I was  trapped in my own discontentment.  But from that day...things began to change...or maybe it didn't, I can't really tell...I think it is more that I changed.  So, sometimes, I do slip back into my old ways.  But then I remember...and hope to never forget...I have a beautiful life....thank you!