Not many days pass before I’ve read something reminding me to be grateful. Find gratitude, be thankful, appreciate what I have, identify and honor the abundance. These are all valuable messages I’d offer and the messages and intent are a part of my regular practice of cultivating my growth, self-awareness, and how I show up in the world.
In the old days, WAY back in the 20th Century, we didn’t have cloud storage. Life was different in a lot of ways. One of them was the necessity to print things out that I wanted to keep. I enjoy reading and when I’d come across articles or newspaper columns that resonated in whatever way I’d print them out, 3-hole punch them, and put them in a binder. Seems rather quaint, eh? Granted, saving a link and carrying a device in my backpocket that connects me to the world is often convenient, I enjoy(ed) building my own collection of advice, guidance, and writing that struck me for whatever reason. I still reference my binder regularly.
I’ve written before about an article I printed and kept. It was from Mary Schmich, a former columnist for the Chicago Tribune. That piece is here and is an example of the type of article I’d save and print. You really should read her article titled “Note to Jeff: Sorry I Didn’t Write Sooner”. I mention it for two purposes–the first is I judge it to be a great premise-you might not know the perfect thing to say in a given circumstance but acknowledging that, saying something that might not be ‘perfect’ is better than nothing. The second reason is it reminded me of another article I printed on November 21, 2001.
Bob Greene wrote a column centered around John Glenn’s return to space in 1998. I’ve linked a PDF of my hardcopy here. If you happen to have a subscription to the online version of the Chicago Tribune you can find it here, it’s otherwise paywalled. The title is ‘Giving Thanks for the Things That Hurt Most’. Beyond the challenges that John Glenn faced as a 77-yr old in space, Bob Greene also references something Ara Parseghian, the legendary College Football Hall of Fame coach (Miami, OH, Northwestern, Notre Dame) once said. “I can remember every detail of every one of my losses. I can barely remember anything about my wins.”
Anderson Cooper had Stephen Colbert on his podcast that centers around Grief. During the interview Stephen Colbert shared the story of the passenger plane crash that took the lives of his two younger brothers and his Dad. He went on to refer to it as a gift. He invited the listeners to reflect on finding gratitude around the things in life that one would have likely wished never happened. That struck me like a thunderbolt.
My Mom passed away recently. She resided in a Memory Care unit for the last few years and struggled with expressive aphasia, the inability to form words. As a retired teacher, her mind was still sharp and the frustration she felt in trying to communicate was a daily source of embarrassment, shame, frustration and pain. Her struggle is over now and I’m asking myself “Can I find the gift amidst this grief?” Can you find the gift in an area or event or circumstance in your life? Can you be thankful, grateful, appreciative of the pain? I’m curious about your thoughts and experiences.
Rest in Peace, Mom.