Gratitude

We can never be too grateful or affirm our blessings too much.

In the recovery community, we talk a lot about making a "gratitude list". The purpose is to remind ourselves how blessed we are. It is suggested that we make a list of everything we've been given - even in the face of desperate times.

I see a lot of people who stare death in the face...

Doctors have told families that there's nothing more that can be done.

They say that the best option is to make the patient comfortable.

They prescribe heavy doses of pain medication instead of chemotherapy.

They try to forecast how many days are left.

Then they turn around and walk away as the family struggles with the reality of the moment.

Last year, I had the opportunity to sit at the bedside of a dying man. We talked or, really, I talked as he listened. Occasionally, he would interject a sentence that was hardly audible. However, in his drug-induced stupor, he was able to talk about God's love and grace. As family members stood on the other side of a closed door, he recalled how God had given him a loving wife. He talked about each of his children and the precious grandchildren that, he was convinced, were born into this world for his pleasure. In the hours before death, he made a list of everything God had given him. It was obvious that he was reciting a list that he always updated. He was a grateful man and thanked the Blessing-Giver. It was an intimate moment between him and God. And I had a front row seat.

I plan to recognize the Blessing-Giver more often and thank Him over and over.