How to Get Through These Strange Days? Start With Gratitude.

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank you’, that would suffice.”

--Meister Eckhart, German Mystic and Theologian

Birds.

That’s one of the many things I am so thankful to God for, right now, this day: the birds.  Our feathered friends, these winged creatures who sing and sing and sing. They sing in spite of the weather that’s been so fickle; or the never ending news too much of it bad; or the human realities of the day that can bring us down.

When I see the birds flitting from branch to branch so nimbly and listen to their faithful tunes in our noise diminished world, I feel hopeful. I remember the words of the poet Emily Dickinson: “Hope is the thing with feathers, That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all.”

I’m thankful for my friend Ian, who in the midst of his dealing with all the anxieties this pandemic inspires; he still finds time almost every day to stand patiently in his urban backyard and with camera and a patient, artistic eye, he snaps away. He captures fiery red cardinals and bright golden finches and black hued grackles, then posts these artistic images online. 

Never thought I’d so appreciate those photos, that now bring joy to so, so many, and to me. Never thought I’d become a birder, but there it is. 

Thank you birds. Thank you old friend.

What are you thankful for this day? What small gift of grace from God, what surprise you received from a loved one…what made you feel more alive today, even normal in these abnormal times?

I’m thankful for walking now.

For the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other and making my way through my cul-de-sac filled neighborhood with my fellow striders, Jill and Julie. I’m thankful for a new friend named Jonathan, whom I’ve met on my perambulations, a first grade boy so proud of his rock collection that he displays and shows off in his front yard. He shares his latest specimen with me, holds it up, like an amateur geologist. His enthusiasm makes me smile and feel happy.

Thanks Jonathan.  I can’t wait to see your newest rock on my next journey.

Thanks Juliana, the young woman who serves me my coffee in the Dunkin Donuts drive thru line: dark roast, two creams, one sugar. Masked and gloved, she still manages to be patient and kind to every patron she helps.  Yesterday she told me her shift ran from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm and even with her facial covering I could see the tiredness in her eyes, but as she told me: “Gotta pay the bills!” And so, she stands on her feet for ten hours with nary a break and I am in awe of her courage, yes courage, to work while others like me shelter in place.

Thank you Juliana. God bless you and your family too.

How are you feeling blessed this day? What simple thing or reality, that in regular times you might have overlooked or taken for granted or never stopped to thank the wondrous universe for…what touches your soul or opens your heart?

Thanks Cindy, my mask making extraordinary friend. With style and craftiness, she sits at her dining room table, and measures and snips and cuts and sews and creates cloth protective gear, and with flair too! I especially like her Sponge Bob mask. Thank you, for when I have asked for masks for myself or masks for a friend and his family, you deliver with joy and commitment. You do your part and then some. One of your masks ended up in the hands of a grateful gas station attendant, a young man surprised and moved by that unexpected gift on a recent chilly afternoon. That’s how it is with love: it only works if you pass it on.

Thank you Cindy: keep sewing!

Here’s how to be thankful, more thankful and appreciative and grateful, especially now, when we need to give thanks and wake up to the miracle that is this life just today. Pay attention. Open your eyes.  Go out of your way to seek and embrace the smallest acts of kindness, the simplest gifts of God’s creation, the love and care you feel right at home. Then just say, “Thank you!” Thank you: to the ones who bless us, whether human or in nature or transcendent.

And me? I am grateful for you. Thank you for reading this. Now may we go forth and just be more grateful. 

Yes, that will suffice.