Part of Getting Older

Part of getting older includes getting more gray hair, and it also includes getting more grateful.

I think gratitude is a skill that must be honed. I suppose some people have a talent for it, and it comes naturally for them. For most of us, though, it is something that we first have to experience the beauty of, then acknowledge the fleeting essence of, and then put conscientious effort into so that its power to enrich our lives can take full effect.

Today, I would like to say how grateful I am for the people who blessed my life as a young mother. People who recognized that this time frame can be so demanding, and who offered what they could to make my days a little brighter.

There was my elderly neighbor at the old house who gave me her bike trailer that she had used to carry her dogs around like a stroller. I vacuumed it out and shined it up and was able to put my two boys in it.

There was the lady from church who invited me to her house to exercise a few times a week for a year or so (until my pregnancy with the twins interfered).

Another church friend offered the use of some of her expensive kitchen gear (like a wheat grinder) because she recognized that her budget was bigger than mine, simply based on the different era of life she was in.

Gratitude goes out to my mom, who moved all the way across the United States, giving up her established life in Indiana to join me in Utah when my twins were born. WOW! She still lives with me and still blessed me, day-in-and-day-out.

I want to be like these people, selfless and giving. I want to look for ways to bless the lives of those around me -- not waiting to be asked, but being open to inspiration and alert to observations. I want to give people the excuse to grow in gratitude! That's the real blessing that's been given to me as I've been the recipient of the goodness of others.