GRATITUDE, BLESSINGS, AND HOPE

I have a gentleman friend who has been staying with me and whom I have been taking care of during his illness and during the procedure to place a pacemaker-defibrillator placed in his chest to help with his heart condition. He has been suffering a lot this week. It has not been from the procedure itself but from side effects of medication. He wonders when it will end and so do I. We see the doctor today but he is very weak so the task of getting him there is going to take some real effort on his part.

Other than that, it is a beautiful but very dry day in West Georgia. And in spite of everything, hope burns brightly for better days for my friend/patient.

It is a joy to be there for someone who needs you and when you have love for them, the task is not so much of a burden. It is a joy to me also to watch my little turtles swim to the edge of the pond looking up at me waiting for me to throw them some bread to eat. The fish are so eager and hungry the turtles have to work hard to get the bread before they gobble it up. Meanwhile a hawk flies about hoping to catch his meal and the birds and squirrels forage through the grass to find the seed I have tossed out for them.

The little things in life like that and enjoying a refreshing shower or a good meal or a conversation with a friend, are the gifts that God sends every day and gratitude fills my heart.

This is living the life and the Life Force gives us direction and awareness with which to fill in all the blanks. It's all up to us.