Gratitude

​

As I walked down my street to teach my late-afternoon class, I found myself filled with appreciation for where I live. It's a quiet street, one I can cross at any time, peacefully taking in the warmth of spring, the vibrant green grass, and the trees finally coming back to life.

Fresh air is something I'll never take for granted. It's one of those simple gifts that many people rarely think twice about. When my son served in Afghanistan, he would come home after each deployment and spend weeks commenting on how clean and fresh the air felt here. After months of breathing toxic air overseas, it often took his lungs several months to recover. More than once, he returned home suffering from environmental walking pneumonia as a result of the conditions he had endured.

Our children can teach us so much, often without realizing it. I credit my son for helping me develop a deeper appreciation for something as basic, and as essential, as the air I breathe. Because of that, I make a point to get outside whenever I can, enjoying the peacefulness and tranquility of my town while counting my blessings with every step.

Gratitude is one of life's greatest gifts. In my opinion, it is only through gratitude that we can truly find contentment. That's a belief I stand by wholeheartedly.

When I arrived at class, several participants were already seated at their tables, games set up and ready to play. For the next couple of hours, I was immersed in helping multiple tables with gameplay, completely losing track of time. In fact, I was so absorbed in the afternoon that I nearly forgot this session of lessons is scheduled to end in just two weeks!

As it turns out, everyone in the class has asked me to continue, so it looks like I'll be teaching throughout the summer. With such a wonderful group of people and a commute filled with fresh air and gratitude, why wouldn't I?

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough." ~ Anonymous