After years and years of practice I think I'm finally becoming a grateful person. It took me almost a whole year of remembering/forgetting to bring cloth grocery bags with me to the store before I remembered them every time I went...so why not 33 years before I can say thanks for the small stuff?!
Every day since my daughter's birth I have been grateful to be able to provide for her needs. Since returning to work I have made the most of my time "bottling milk" by catching up on my reading. I just finished a short but powerful book by Henri Nouwen called "With Open Hands." It is profound and inspiring and I plan to read it over and over again. It has me praying and thanking God more often, in simple, regular ways. I find myself being more conversational with God-- which isn't completely new to me, but something I needed to get back in the habit of doing. I recommend ANYTHING Henri Nouwen to folks-- and here's just a brief snipit of the book, it's actually the closing prayer...
"Dear God, I do not know where you are leading me. I do not even know what my next day, my next week, or my next year will look like. As I try to keep my hands open, I trust that you will put your hand in mine and bring me home. Thank you, God for your love. Thank you. Amen."
