Gratitude through the pain

The world is so heavy right now. Covid, war in the Ukraine and all of our closer to home losses. This is not to mention all of the other things going on in the world that just simply should not be.

This morning, as my daughter threw together her lunch, I found myself getting so irritated with her complaints. The brand of granola bar wasn't right, the container was too small, why wasn't banana bread a "main", her winter jackets were all magically missing...just STOP! My friend and her children died. Your granola bar, this one day, does not matter! It's fair to say I overacted, but come on! I was relaying this to my co-worker, who has this amazing ability to see things from such a different perspective. She said "How fortunate that at age 9, those are her biggest concerns." She's right, ya know? If only life were that simple for us all.

I know life goes on and we actively need to choose happiness, love and joy...even when it's harder to find...but realistically, there is much to be grateful for, always. This morning, I met my friend for a morning hug and by total chance, our other friend saw us and stopped to visit too. I am grateful. It can easily be as simple as gratitude for your hot coffee...and at the most basic but most precious, I am grateful because I woke up and am given the gift of this day.

Life is uncertain and we must honor those we have lost by doing our best to continue on. It won't be easy, but even through this pain, we must be grateful. 

To those who we have lost, those beautiful souls who did not get to wake up today, we love you. Always. xoxo