WEEKLY GRATITUDE THOUGHTS

I look back over the last week with a sincere sense of gratitude. I'm most grateful for friends who are in my life and have lifted me up these last few months just by the simplicity of their being there. A little over a month ago, when I was really coming to grips with the loss of my relationship with Parker, my friends were the ones telling me that a month or so down the road, I'd look back with amazement at the progress I've made. It was hard to see at the time, but I've come a long way in that time. There are still rough patches here and there and the hardest part of the transition, I'm sure, is yet to come, but all in all, I am becoming a stronger person each and every day.

I am grateful for the future. It's a scary, yet exciting place for me. There is much growth, peace and happiness waiting there for me. Every difficult situation I go through prepares me for the future. It's all part of life. The future is a clean slate, just waiting to be written.

I am so grateful for the things that all too easily slip our minds. It is so easy to overlook our good health, clothing, shelter, financial resources and so much more while things are going well. I think that is why it is even more important to be aware and express our gratitude in the good times.

I'm so grateful for the musical talents with which I have been blessed. I'm absolutely living my dream right now as a church musician. I'm far from perfect, but my skills are improving. I prayed for this opportunity for so long and when the time was right, it just fell right in my lap.

Here's my confession: I am so grateful for the place I am in my life. I'm heading in the right direction. Things aren't perfect, but they are getting better. There's still some fine tuning to be done, but I am on the right road.

My weeks don't always turn out perfect, but that's ok. I'm growing so much as a person right now. I'm becoming my own self and feeling comfortable being independent. There is a freedom in this growth I never thought I'd experience. I have to admit that, although these last few months have been somewhat difficult, I'm grateful for the experience, for each moment of grief, each moment of pain has served as a refiner's fire for my whole self. The moments have allowed me to step out of myself and see the blessings amidst the rubble. And, that, my friend, is where my gratitude truly finds its voice and where I am born anew.