What are you grateful for today?
Will you share that list with someone?
Every night I ask each of my boys this question, and my response to their immense list of gratitudes is always: “And what am I grateful for?” to which they always respond in turn, “Me!”
Above anything else I could list, reminding them nightly that they are at the top feels important to me.
Their lists of gratitudes has been pretty static for a few months now, and my one response has been the same for as long as I’ve asked the question. Yesterday, however, I had a few surprises greet me.
The first was each twin in turn adding themselves to their list.
“I’m grateful for my school, my pets, me….”
I was floored. I mean, how great is that?!
To be grateful for oneself!
To be grateful to be who you are!
I honestly can’t remember the last time I added myself to my own gratitude list.
The second surprise came from my older son when after he replied that he knew I was grateful for him, he said “But mom, I don’t know what else you are grateful for… I do know it’s not just me.”
“Well, no,” I replied. “I’m grateful for your brothers, daddy, lots of things…“
To which he replied, “And God?”
“Oh yes, son. God too.”
I didn’t have the perfect reply for him last night except a tired affirmation, but when I returned to my own room, I remembered this quote from Thomas Merton that captured so well the reason I’m grateful for God:
“Life is this simple, we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the Divine is shining through it all the time.”
God in all things…
God in all places…
God in all moments of time…
If we pay attention today, if we note and share our gratitude, we might just see God shining through this world no matter what tries to block the light.
