Grateful

In preparation for Thanksgiving with my extended family, I prioritized going to Alanon tonight -- even over being snuggled in my bed which was where I wanted to be with this freezing cold weather. As always, I was glad I did. Meetings always help put things in perspective for me -- both with my own healing journey and by seeing the plight of others -- much of which is worse than mine.

One person said that when he couldn't find anything in his own life to be grateful for, he thought of things he was glad hadn't happened to him, which reminded me of this Yiddish Proverb:

“If you cannot be grateful for what you have received, then be thankful for what you have been spared."

And so, on this eve of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for both what I have been spared and all the blessings of this life, many of which I have in common with my friend Art Garfunkel:

I've got a roof over my head
I've got a warm place to sleep
Some nights I lie awake counting gifts
Instead of counting sheep
I've got a heart that can hold love
I've got a mind that can think
There may be times when I lose the light
And let my spirits sink
But I can't stay depressed
When I remember how I'm blessed
Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly grateful
In a city of strangers
I got a family of friends
No matter what rocks and brambles fill the way
I know that they will stay until the end
I feel a hand holding my hand
It's not a hand you can see
But on the road to the promised land
This hand will shepherd me
Through delight and despair
Holding tight and always there
Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly grateful
It's not that I don't want a lot
Or hope for more, or dream of more
But giving thanks for what I've got
Makes me happier than keeping score
In a world that can bring pain
I will still take each chance
For I believe that whatever the terrain
Our feet can learn to dance
Whatever stone life may sling
We can moan or we can sing
Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly grateful
Truly blessed
And duly grateful.