Gratitude 10.12.09
Today I am so grateful for the generosity and kindness of others. My entire life, I have been blessed with friends and family who are more than willing to provide help in anyway that they can in hopes of seeing me happy and successful.
This past month, Steve and I have been overwhelmed and greatly touched by the huge number of people who have gleefully provided their help and support. We have had numerous people bring us dinner, take Moanna to the park, clean the kitchen and then ask what else they can do to help. Sometimes they asked if we needed anything, and sometimes they just showed up unannounced with their arms full of food. “Here we thought you might like this for dinner. Can Moanna come play at our house for awhile so you can rest?”
Here is a short list of the many things others have done for us in the past month…
Brought us dinner
Stayed the night with us
Brought flowers
Taken Moanna to the library
Cleaned our kitchen
Brought us pizza
Kept Moanna for a night or more
Visited with us
Sent cookies
Written letters and emails
Invited us over for dinner
Helped put Moanna to bed
Brought us dessert
I could go on, but you get the idea…
This past month has been a challenge, no doubt. It has been a physical and emotional struggle. However, because of the generosity of our friends, family, acquaintances and sometimes strangers, we have been able to go to a place of gratitude. It is a place that has allowed us to find peace and happiness, and for that we are incessantly grateful.
Bookmark this article!
This week while I’ve been down with a nasty chest cold, my husband brought me dinner several times and even cooked once or twice. He got me anything I wanted from the store as soon as I asked for it. My friend took my cooking shift at our club rather than just give me a list of phone numbers to call to find someone else. My doc’s office fit me into an already over-packed schedule and the pharmacy filled my prescriptions right away rather than make me wait. Another friend sent an email to tell me everyone missed me at dinner and cards and were concerned how I was doing. Larry let me watch his big TV! He went into the other room to watch the little one rather than boot me out of the recliner becasue HIS shows were on. He has tolerated my all night hacking without complaint for his disturbed sleep. I’m hardly as sick as you’ve been and I’ve only been down a week. Yet, I’ve got a huge list of things to be thankful for, too. And, I thank you for reminding me of that.
Lovely post, caused me much reflection. Fifteen years ago I was pregnant with my first, and living in London. I could not drive, had never learned how; we had no money at that time, and I was very isolated, far from my family in Canada. A dear friend paid for my driving lessons. I never forgot her generosity. Seven years ago we became close friends with another family; the father had terminal cancer. They had two kids and the mom could not drive. They had no money at that time and things were very tough. I decided to pass my gift on and paid for her driving lessons.
Sadly, my friend’s husband has since passed away, but the gift has made their lives easier. Someday I know that she will pass the gift on to someone who needs it, if she can. And I’ll always be grateful for the generosity of my friend in London; she never knew that it would touch the lives of others so profoundly.
Best wishes.