Where are you standing? / A reason to be thankful

Life has a way of sending us little reminders, and I got one of those reminders earlier this week when I went to visit my Grandma at the nursing home. I walked in the room, and she said, “Joe-joe, is that you?” I was in awe, because through her period of getting used to her new setting, my family and I have seen a glimpse of the worse that is to come with Alzheimer’s disease, but that moment was like heaven at the sound of her calling my name. We sat and talked, watched TV, and I told her I love you as many times as I could, just to hear her sweet reply of “I love you, too.” This visit had all of the things that would make you say, “She is having a good day.”

As I was on the elevator getting ready to leave, I saw a lady approaching the elevator, so I held the elevator for her. As she entered the elevator, I could hear her crying and see her fumbling with her cell phone. Once she finished dialing, I heard her say, “You need to leave your job and get here as fast as you can, because we don’t know how much longer she has left.” At that moment I realized that even in my Grandma’s worst of times, she was still with me.

I was reminded that life is a journey of the unknown, and sometimes we can be caught in moments that can profoundly alter our lives. I am sure that none of the people of Japan woke up thinking that this would be the last time they would see some of their loved ones. I was reminded that we should take every moment to let the ones we love and care about know that we love and care about them, and we should be thankful for them.

I was also reminded of how important our perspective is. My father said in a sermon that “Where you stand determines what you see.” In the rough times of life, it is easy to focus on the things that aren’t going well, and when we continually focus on those things, we overlook the things that provide a break from the seemingly constant onslaught of those negative times. Even in the darkest moments of our lives there are areas of light. In the most terrible of situations, there are reasons to be thankful. Even in the most difficult times of having a Grandma that has Alzheimer’s disease there are moments of love and caring. Where are you standing? Are you standing on the side of negativity and focusing on all that is bad, or will you challenge yourself to stand on the side of positivity and focus on all that is good and your reasons to be thankful? As we journey through life, let’s give it a try.

- A Reason To Be Thankful-

For visions of sunrises and sunsets

For fall giving way to spring

For the coolness of a breeze

For the refreshing of the stream

For the mountains and the valleys

For the highs and the lows

For grey skies and rain

For the rainbow’s beauty after the storm

For loving and being loved

For holding and being held

For the give and take

For the love we make

For peace and solitude

For reflection and meditation

For grace and mercy

For redemption and salvation

For over and over blessings

For the taking off of chains

For purpose by design

For my light to shine

For justice and equality

For freedom and unity

For confidence and courage

For commitment and dedication

For you and me

For them and we

For friends and family

For the living and the dead

For the minutes, the seconds, the hours

For the days, the weeks, the months

For the past, and the future

For the then and now…

This moment with my head bowed and my heart saying thanks