Beautiful days, friends, and family are wonderful reasons to give thanks.
As I was walking my parents’ dogs yesterday, in the incredibly beautiful weather that we have been blessed with recently, I found myself saying a prayer of thanks for my perfectly mundane day. I had gone for a haircut that morning, nothing like a little trim to add a little pep to a girl’s step. I had coffee and a two hour visit with a dear friend of mine and we got caught up. Finally, I ran to the grocery store.
I hadn’t really done much on my to-do list for the day, but I found myself with a profound sense of peace as I thanked God that I had hair to cut. Some people don’t, and money to pay for it. Some people don’t.
I thanked God for my friend. Some people don’t have any.
I thanked God for the ability to go and buy groceries. Some people can’t.
We all have great days, when we are on top of the world, like the day we got married, or the day we graduated from high school or college, or the day we held our first child. Those days are glorious days. We take photos to remember them and we sometimes replay them in our heads, moment by moment. Remembering them brings us joy.
We all have really bad days too, like the day we got fired, or the day we learned of a scary medical diagnosis, or the day we buried a loved one. Those days too, are often etched in our memories.
When times are good, we often find ourselves praying and giving thanks for our good fortunes or blessings.
When times are bad, we often find ourselves praying for healing, peace, strength or guidance.
But, when I think about my life and all of the great moments and all of the really bad, I’ll have to admit that most of my days are filled with the in-between stuff. Most of my days aren’t perfect and fabulous, but they aren’t painful and sad either.
Most of my days are filled with ordinary things like making breakfast for my kids, and doing the laundry, and sweeping floors, and watching television with my hubby. While those things seem so ordinary at first glance, a closer look reveals something else.
Ask someone who has lost a child what they would give to make breakfast for them again. Ask someone who has lost their home to a fire what they would give to be able to do laundry again. Ask someone who is homeless what they would give to have floors to sweep. Ask a recent widow what she would give to watch television with her husband one more time.
We often forget to give thanks for the everyday blessings we have, and most have of us have many, because they just seem so ordinary. We can sometimes take them for granted. But, I think a closer look shows that the ordinary is actually quite extraordinary.
That notion really hit me hard as I was walking those little dogs and giving thanks. I think I needed a reminder.
Maybe you did too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂