Habitual Gratitude

Living gratefully today, I am thankful for our safe travels over the weekend and for weather that can be enjoyed, regardless of what it delivers. I watched a high school football game Friday night and a college football game on Saturday afternoon. For both, there was beautiful fall weather, the kind meant for football games. There were exciting plays and fireworks-some on the field and some off. There was turf and there was natural grass. Softball was my favorite sport to play, coach, and watch. But football has always been a favorite spectator sport for me as well. I grew up watching Sunday afternoon football, and many Friday nights over recent decades have been spent watching relatives play some football. My favorite player Friday night was my son Sam. (Obvious, I know.) On Saturday, my favorite was a little guy, probably about 4 years old, wearing an Adrian Peterson Vikings jersey and an NDSU Bison helmet (neither of the teams on the field). He was located near us, with what a...

Today I am grateful for productive energy last evening. Some days I don't have that, and that's okay, but it was well-timed yesterday. I am also grateful for the time I got to spend shooting hoops with our grandson Leo, and FaceTiming with our grandson Aaron. The quote I have been sharing comes together in this post: "When forgiveness is your path, and love is your reason for being alive at all, and awakening is burning in your heart, then gratitude is never far away." (Jeff Foster) I have gotten much practice at looking for and finding gratefulness. I am reminded of the words "What we practice grows stronger." Actually, it doesn't take as much looking as it does just simple awareness. Pause. Right here, right now. Notice. Pay attention. Give thanks for what is present. My perception is better, my vision more focused. Not all of the time, more of the time. It continues to make a considerable difference in my daily life. There is a saying ...

Living gratefully today, I noticed the crescent moon in the early morning sky, and I appreciated the street lights that offered our dog Oliver and I a sense of security as we walked. Today's quote excerpt is: "And awakening is burning in your heart . . ." As I considered what an awakening is, the word that surfaced was vulnerability. Experience, some of it the toughest of my life, has shown me that in my vulnerability is my greatest growth. The most inspired awakenings and the burning in my heart start a gentle flame. It kindles more love, more joy, more awe. It is never too late to awaken further, to start anew, to learn and move forward. Some emotions stay dormant until we are ready for them to emerge. We wouldn't be open to them otherwise. I was a shy child, but I was not quiet all the time. I made noise to get attention in my large family. Something went dormant then, but something else also awakened. It helped me survive my active drinking years and...

Today I am grateful for a just-ripe pear, and for the road construction workers who make the roads we travel safer and smoother. "And love is your reason for being alive at all . . . "  It all sounds so cliche: Love conquers all. Love is patient, love is kind. Love wins. Love is the answer. But is it cliche or is it profound? I'm going with profound. I will throw in this little editorial aside here. I believe we have become too quick to throw the word "love" around and have diluted it. We can "love" posts on social media and say "Love ya!" as a frequent goodbye to family and friends alike. Let's not lose the meaning, the depth, the amazing grace in true love for another, for life, for ourselves. As I considered this post,  Love is the Answer , a song by England Dan and John Ford Coley from 1979, came to mind. Give it a listen. It says plenty. Love takes work, and time. It takes some pain too. How could we fully appreciate love...

Living gratefully today, I appreciate how my hand can hold a pen and carry it across a page, creating words.  I am thankful for a pleasant bike ride with Darcy in the cooler air yesterday. There is a lovely quote that will come together over the next days here, starting with this line: "When forgiveness is your path . . . " Isn't forgiveness always good to have on my daily path through life?  Yes. For me, it usually starts and ends with self-forgiveness. I have been tougher on myself than anyone else, by far. I know many of you reading this can relate to that. I am not deluded enough to think that the number I have done on myself hasn't also hurt others. When I am operating from self-hate, I don't make the best decisions or say the most compassionate things.  The emotional pain I have caused others, or at least contributed to, is where I also seek forgiveness. Forgive myself for my shortcomings. Forgive the Universe for not delivering in a timely manner...

Today I am grateful for the cooler, less humid air that greets us this morning, and for the opportunity to do some writing. My sister Aileen is a writer, a wonderful and talented poet. With her permission, I am sharing one of her latest poems here: (I added the line breaks.) Delight  in tiny, specific, beautiful things a sliver of sunlight the whisper of cat whiskers feathering my face. Honor the overlooked  among the ordinary cloud scarves  draping the chests  of rusty Chugach mountains. Practice enchantment  in everyday endeavors take comfort in clean dishes drying after lunch.  Consider reverence  as a default setting  joining the birds in admiration  of what is.  There are many phrases within this poem that reach the core of my gratefulness, but my favorite guiding words are these:  "Practice enchantment in everyday endeavors." It is my daily mission really. Joy in the mundane. Enchantment in the eve...

Today I am grateful for quiet, fresh coffee, counting cars with our grandson Leo, and for opportunities to lighten up on myself and my usual routine. In a couple of hours the other day, I had a few minor resentments crop up. And I do mean minor. How is it that the males who live in the same house I do seem to not know how to replace things that are empty... toilet paper rolls, soap in the shower, our dog Oliver's poop bag dispenser?  And how is it that these things tend to be timed poorly? Such as a morning when I am tired and running behind? Don't get me wrong, Darcy and I are pretty good about sharing the duties of maintaining our house and our family life. Sam does his part too, though sometimes not as soon as I wish he would. So, as these little resentments mounted, I turned to a tactic I know works when I remember to use it. A gratitude list surfaced: I have a husband, a son, a loving dog, a house, indoor plumbing...and the resentments just sort of dissolve. They di...