Loss and Light

Posted at Nov 14, 2013 5:00 am in gratitude, loss, thankful, Thankful Thursdays, Thursday

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson

Years ago, I kept a gratitude journal and it made a profound difference in my attitude and how I viewed my life. Recently I started this practice again, with a deeper appreciation that only time and life experiences can bring. Gratitude and empathy have a way of opening our hearts in surprising ways, inspiring us to connect and give to others in whatever ways we can.

Some days I want to force gratitude upon others: “Don’t you realize how fortunate you are? What are you whining about?” Then I remember that I’ve been the whiner. Big Time. I’ve taken so much for granted over the years. So I take off my McJudgy pants. Everyone has their own journey, but I’m not the world’s cruise director. My own journey has taken me places I never could have predicted, and I’m grateful for every stop along the way, especially the dark places, because on the other side of darkness is always light.

Today I’m grateful for past losses, because I believe that out of great loss comes great joy and gratitude. That doesn’t mean we don’t experience profound pain and suffering as we struggle through our losses, but when we come out on the other side, every day is a gift. Every bill we can pay is a blessing. Every shared meal with friends and family is a joy. Every pain-free day means dancing around the house…literally. Every new day is a chance to pursue those dreams we put on hold for far too long.

I promise I won’t go all deep and angsty on you every week. Lots of Thursdays you’ll just hear about how grateful I am for chocolate and movies. Random hilarity. Funky yarn for knitting projects I’ll never finish. Red wine. Ear-splitting concerts. Johnny Depp. And BOOKS! (I’m nothing if not predictable).

What are you grateful for today? If you feel like sharing, I’d love to know.

4 Comments

4 responses to “Loss and Light”

1. Laura K. Deal says:

   November 14, 2013 at 10:56 am

   Today, and pretty much every day, I’m grateful for my writer friends, who share their knowledge and expertise freely and encourage me when I’m feeling discouraged. And who know how work hard, and laugh a lot, and make me feel like one of the cool kids. 🙂

   Reply
   • Lisa says:

     November 14, 2013 at 6:06 pm

     I absolutely ditto everything you said, Laura 🙂 Thanks for stopping by to comment.

     Reply
2. Pam Mingle says:

   November 15, 2013 at 1:46 pm

   Nicely put, Lisa! I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had in my life, and for the friends and family who’ve helped me to benefit from them.

   Reply
   • Lisa says:

     November 17, 2013 at 11:56 am

     I agree, Pam! Friends and family are top of the list.

     Reply