“The more I study gratitude, the more I have come to believe that an authentic, deeply held sense of gratefulness toward life may require some degree of contrast or deprivation.
One truly appreciates a mild spring after a harsh winter, a gourmet meal following a fast….Some blessings are not known until they are lost.
[In the study of individuals with neuromuscular diseases, researchers]
“were also struck by the redemptive twist that occurred in nearly one-half of these narratives:
out of something bad (suffering, adversity, affliction) comes something good (new life, new opportunities) for which the person feels profoundly grateful.”
(shared from aholyexperience.com)
As the quiet commas link all of these busy moments of life together, I am brought back to deep gratitude. I am one that was broken (I believed beyond repair) and in my healing I am standing in a place of deep joy & peace. I feel it greater in these seasons of change ~ mindful of the transformation that happens when God's fingers touch something. Whatever it is/was - changes. The divine seasons define us.
It is autumn ~ I am pausing to see/feel/smell the divine in all things. Are you caught up in this feeling, too?
A drive through town takes my breath away as the golden leaves fall across the road. The pears change color on the branches, and the things in summer that normally wouldn't catch my eye are now profoundly gorgeous. Everything is brilliantly lit up. I know it won't last more than a few weeks (maybe days), and it is bittersweet~
But, I love it. The newness, the goodness, the mercy that comes with change. God's divine reminders of where we have been and where we are going. Pausing in this place, this happy place ~ before the cold/snow arrives. Grateful for today. This place. This time. These people. This autumn.
Much love & much goodness to you,
Don't miss this time...go live it~
jj
