Wherefore This Gratitude?

By Jesse Greist

 

I have lost family to disease, forced to say an early farewell

So now I give thanks for each day of good health

I have lost dear friends to simple misunderstandings

So now I give thanks for each word clearly spoken

I have stood in awe while a baby was born

And now I give thanks for motherhood… and childhood

I have borne witness to a single voice rising up to a bully

So now I give thanks for resistance

I have used these hands to dig a well in the sand of expanding Sahara

Now I give thanks for each sip of water taken

I have pulled a drowning child from the grip of the sea

Now I give thanks for rocks near the shore

I have kept a boiled egg from breakfast for the man outside with nothing

Now each bite I take is a prayer of thanksgiving

I have made myself learn to say hello in your language

And your smile is a thank you all its own

Why do we push on through the tough moments we are faced with?

Because gratitude writes itself onto our hearts when we do