Gratitude

I'm filled with gratitude for today. Can you say that every day? So often, some of us forget to do that. We take our lives for granted. Yet, as I creep up to a milestone birthday, it seems I am contemplating more fully what that means. I find myself gazing at the obits in the paper, observing how old the people are when they had enough of this place and make the journey to the next place. A new friend I've made here is my son's age (22), and her mother -her best friend- suddenly and tragically died. We don't know how much time we have here on earth, with our loved ones, in this wild and crazy place we call home. That's why it helps to be grateful for at least one thing each day, as it eases some of the pain and suffering of our soul's growth. It also reminds us most poignantly of Ha Shem's love for us.



We just never know how things will turn out, and when we greet each day with a sense of "Yirah" or Awe/Fear, we hope and pray for the best, and our prayers are usually answered. Even in tragedy, we need to find what is good, or we will be bitter for the rest of our lives. And with only one chance at this go-round, we cheat our souls if we don't give it all we've got.



May your week be warm, opening, and full of shining moments.