A Season of Gratitude

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As we are closing out the month of December and concluding the last month of this decade (yes, this decade!), I am reminded of the importance of gratitude. We celebrated Thanksgiving last month, Christmas is tomorrow, and I realized that it is near impossible to summarize a year (and life) full of things to be thankful or grateful for in one sentence. 

This year has been a year full of blessings, lessons, and setbacks. While some have experienced the best of times, for sure, there have been people experiencing the worst of times, and even more experiencing both! Despite what we post on social media or what we show in the company of others, 2019, has been a beautiful, chaotic year. Maybe it is because of a shift from one phase of life to something new, I’m not quite sure.

I want to encourage and remind anyone else that has had a challenging year of the things we can be grateful for every day, no matter the year, no matter the holiday, no matter what. 

I am grateful and thankful for these things everyday:

• Life. How many times are we hearing about people dying young or unexpectantly? Every day we wake up is another opportunity to get something right, impact someone else’s life. Plus, nothing is guaranteed, not even our next breath. 
• Love. Whether it is from a parent or a child, from a lover or friend, to be loved and give love is something to be grateful for. Love is patient, love is kind, God is love. 
• Family. We have the families we are born into and the ones we create. Family is our built-in friends, counselors, confidantes, helpers, and more. There is always love. Not everyone has such a luxury. 
• Moments. I have a running movie of moments in my head that I am forever grateful for. Some things are a once-in-a-lifetime experience, while others may seem rather routine and not that big of a deal. 
• To be of sound mind and body. Now, when older people used to say this, I had no clue nor appreciation for how important it is to be able to walk, use my hands, and think. 
• The ability to provide. Whether it is something material or not, it is a gift and blessing to be able to provide knowledge, gifts, shelter, love, food, or more. 
• For redemption. We are able to recreate our narrative if we want to. It is never easy, but we are not tied to who we used to be, and isn’t that great? 
• For free will.  We have a choice in what we participate in and with whom. 

If I were to write out everything I am grateful or thankful for, the list would be long, including all sorts of things. I want to remind you that the big things matter, but so do the small victories and moments. 

I Am Jackie