Day 1: Gratitude Journal, the gift of grace

Today, the first day of 30 days of gratitude, I am reflecting yet again on the fullness of my life. Without regrets, I know that I am where I am today because I have made many turns in the road, some unexpected yet made without question, like following my ex-husband back to Asia to raise our children together. And other choices so gut-wrentching that I felt my heart would burst into a million pieces. Mending, I feel stronger and as self-assured as I did as a bright-eye 20-something. At nearly 43, there is something so reassuring about the passage of time and not questioning everything all the time but allowing an almost invisible hand in the shape of my heart to guide me along.

Today I am grateful to my ex-husband for offering me ladles of grace and a tremendous amount of support. Without him, I would not be able to teach, travel and enjoy so many of the freedoms that I do living in Asia. 

Along with that, I appreciate his family. I haven't always. They are quirky and the road to healing and understanding has been tremendously rocky for all of us. But, I have begun to see them in a new light, one of understanding. For the sweetness that they offer my son's, I am full of gratitude. 

And, today, I am simply grateful for the generosity of others. The understanding that there is no need to repay the grace but to simply say, "Thank you." Like Elizabeth Gilbert says, "...maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.”

Join me for 30 days of gratitude. It could change your life.