Trying to be Thankful

It goes without saying that 2020 has been a challenging year. There have been times when I’ve shaken my fists in frustration, cried my eyes out in sadness and been brought to my knees in prayer. 

With all that’s happened, it’s far too easy to hop on the train to Complaining Town. Although I believe it’s okay to take a brief stop there–maybe even a layover–it’s not really where I want to dwell. 

So I’m trying to be thankful. 

This year, I just need to dig a bit deeper to find the good hidden under all the hard stuff.

This pandemic has stripped many things from our lives. There’s been so much loss. Yet in doing so, it has brought into sharp focus all the things I value and hold most dear. In many ways, life has become very simple, which oddly has shown me how much the simple things matter.

Embracing a loved one.
Conversations over a shared meal.
The warm feeling of giving and receiving a smile.

Rachel Naomi Remen express this well:

“When life is stripped down to its very essentials, it is surprising how simple things become. Fewer and fewer things matter and those that matter, matter a great deal more.”

It’s so easy to focus on all the loss. It’s easy to stay in Complaining Town. But I really don’t like the heavy feeling of dwelling there. So on this day of giving thanks, I’ll transfer trains at Complaining Town and hop on the one headed to Thankfuland.

I know when we shift our focus towards gratitude, it can change everything. I also know most of the loss I’m feeling is temporary and has made me realize how much I may have taken the simple things for granted. In my heart of hearts, I do feel grateful for so many things in my life. I am very blessed. Just writing those words makes me feel a bit softer, a bit lighter. It’s a better place to dwell.

Won’t you join me?