I am always amazed at how many things in our lives are almost always taken for granted, until we lose partial or full use of them.
Why is it? Is there anything we have that is so well protected and secure that few things in the world could hurt it, maim it in any way, take it from us or even destroy it? The majority of us seem to instinctively know, in our hearts, that something bad will not happen to us. That very way of thinking is ridiculous. We are special, we are strong, healthy and happy people. We are indestructible, right? During war times, families, homes and even villages have been completely destroyed in a matter of minutes, as if they never existed, had no value, no purpose, no reason for having been. Yet, maybe just weeks before the conflict started, the village people felt, as we, secure, happy and confident in their world. Now they are merely memories of those who survived. We may live in a quiet community, peacefully going about everyday living, and a tornado will come up or a prairie fire and destroy most everything we have ever had or hoped to have. We may have a happy, healthy family, and all of a sudden one of our members is taken in death or has contracted a debilitating disease, and our whole life and way of living may be turned upside down. We should probably be thinking more like King David, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalms 23:4) The Psalmist laid out for the world, the gloomy way many in his day thought and lived. We mostly dance through the tulips unafraid. I am afraid we take peace, comfort, happiness, property and safety much too casually.
That was a terrible way to start a thought about gratitude. It might make us think, though. I believe we are much too casual about our blessings and the blessings of life in general.
I was talking to one of our sons the other day. He lives in New York City, he is a writer and one who loves music. In both of thoseinterests he has to use his fingers to work a keyboard. He was playing basketball with friends for a little exercise and happened to sprain his finger, and he chipped a small piece of bone off one of the joints. Even though it was a temporary injury, I’m sure he felt as you and I would feel—“Oh no! Why did that have to happen to me?” Did he expect it to happen to him? Heavens no. Those things only happen to other people. We have a relatively fragile existence, and yet we take it all for granted, and “we fear no evil.” This thought was not intended to scare or to make afraid. It was merely a thought from my strange mind to make us all more grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for all those things we are blessed with and too often take for granted. King David probably had a lot of reasons to believe that he was walking through the valley of the shadow of death. But we are fortunate to have very little reason to believe that we are. I love this earth and all its beauty and glory while recognizing, at the same time, that we have little control of it. Expressing gratitude, however, is the one way for us to be reminded that at any given moment we are blessed beyond measure. For those moments, we owe our gratitude and love to the Supreme Being. God bless us all to remember that gratitude springs from the fountain of life and is the very source of happiness. One cannot be happy and at the same time be bitter and afraid. The poem below by Anna Packard may help us express our gratitude. We can modify the words to fit our lives and loves.
Thank You, Body
Thank you body for allowing me to experience every day completely.
Thank you eyes for the opportunity to see the beauty and majesty of the world around me.
Thank you nose for the pleasure of smelling delicious food and the familiar smell of my husband (wife, child).
Thank you lips for tender moments kissing the soft, doughy skin of my newborn daughter (son or grandchild)
Thank you mouth for allowing me to transform my thoughts and feelings into words I can share with others through conversation, laughter, and song.
Thank you brain…for everything—for the memories you encode, for the emotions you allow me to feel, for the deep thoughts you allow me to generate, for the information you allow me to store and analyze, for allowing me to integrate my experiences into a cohesive sense of self.
Thank you lungs for allowing me to breathe in the richness of life— the bitter cold in the winter air, the spring breezes, the moistness in summer showers, and the crispness of fall afternoons.
Thank you heart for your hard work through all of life’s adventures—pumping ceaselessly, loving and sustaining me every second of every day.
Thank you stomach for transforming the food I ingest into needed energy.
Thank you womb for blessing me with a beautiful daughter and making me a mother. (Father, son etc.)
Thank you breasts for nourishing my daughter through her first year of life. (Our children)
Thank you arms for allowing me to hold close those I love.
Thank you fingers for allowing me to create, experience, and caress.
Thank you legs and feet for carrying me to the tops of beautiful mountains.
Thank you body for your diligence, loyalty, and love. You allow me to live and love completely. I am blessed to have you and look forward to our lifetime together.
—Anna Packard
Once in a while, we all need to say a prayer that details the things that we a grateful for, just as Anna has done. Our Father may fall asleep on us if we are too detailed every time.