There have been a few really hard moments in the last few weeks, pieces of news, and losses to bear. Some in the church, some things personally, and of course, some things nationally. If you’ve been watching the impeachment hearings, the footage is difficult to take in, to put it mildly. These challenges are why I’ve also been doubling down on my gratefulness practice lately.
I’ve actually been linking my gratefulness to brushing my teeth. In the morning, as I brush my teeth, I try to tune in to something that connects me to life and the gifts of life. And before bed, I do it again. Because my teeth brushing habit is pretty solid, this little trick helps the gratefulness habit stick just a little more easily.
I know it seems counter-intuitive that I’d be responding to all that’s happening with more gratitude. How does loss and struggle lead to gratefulness?!?
But what I’ve found is that often, if I meet the grief with openness rather than resistance, I find myself also overwhelmed with love and gratitude. There’s something about recognizing just how fragile life is, how fragile we all are, that reminds me we can’t wait for joy. We need to feel the blessing now. Feel the gift now. Sometimes I even manage to feel connected to the ways that grief is only possible in the first place because of love, and so I start to feel connected to that love. Sometimes.
To help you in your gratefulness practice, check out this video, which is a version of the practice we offer on Sundays: