An Attitude of Gratitude

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“God gave you a gift of 84,600 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you?”
William Arthur Ward

I went to a memorial yesterday for a friend who passed away on December first. I thought I was doing fine about his death but when I arrived at the center, pictures of him were flashing on a screen. Many pictures, beautiful ones, of my friend in health and sickness. I could see the effects of the disease that took a toll on his body.

It was sad. I started crying a bit, not heavy but slow tears of sadness. I hugged his family members and found a seat. Good food was being served and that helped. A nice service followed and friends were encouraged to get up and speak, which I did. I mentioned a book I gave GB to read when he was in the hospital. It was “The Art of Racing in the Rain.” If you haven’t read this book, it is worth the time to check it out.

My word of the year is gratitude. This memorial was a good opportunity for me to think and practice saying thank you. My friend who passed was a good friend, not just a fair weather friend. I knew GB for at least twenty two years. Though he traveled much for his job, we still made a point of having lunch or a phone conversation regularly. I am grateful to God for this person who made me laugh, think, and embrace spirituality on a deeper level.

This ache in my heart will pass. It may come back sporadically but I have faith it will give way to warm cherished memories in years to come. His children are beloved to me and always will be and I hope to stay in touch with them.

As I go forward into this year, I’m wondering how to practice more gratitude. As if an angel was watching over me, I received a text message from my blogger friend, enticing me to read a book together with her. I said, OK! and the next thing you know the book arrived at my house. It is The Happiness Dare. We are going to read it together and talk about it. I love this idea.

I hope you have a wonderful week. Thank you for reading my blog and staying with me on this journey. I wanted to share a song that marked my feelings for every reader that has supported my writing. Here it is.

It's nice to share. Thank you.

13 Replies to “An Attitude of Gratitude”

  1. Ah. Thanks for sharing these caring, human emotions, Joanne. We hurt when we lose someone we love. But the alternative is to not love. Who would want that? Not me.
    Sending you a hug.

  2. Oh, I think I know why you write. You spill & share such lovely droplets of goodness.

    Your friend surely felt loved by you.
    Your friendship was meant to be.
    He covered you with such grace and goodness and you him.
    Enough love to carry you through the fire of grief.
    I have tears in my eyes. Thanks for sharing such a special story of grace & goodness.
    I love how you combined the words grief with gratitude.

    You simply remind us to love our friends enough, fill up the pitcher. Share love and friendship so there is more than enough to surround us with comfort when the time comes.

    simply beautiful,
    Hugs, Daleen

  3. Hi Joanne, Iam so sorry for the loss of your wonderful friend. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to lose a friend who has had such an impact on your life. I also teared up as I felt your sadness, however, as I continued to read, I couldn’t help but think how blessed you were to have such a special person in your life. I believe it takes a very special & caring person to challenge us to think, embrace spiritually on a deeper level , and as a bonus, make us laugh!!! What a beautiful “gift” of friendship!! You too, Joanne, are a very special & loving person to feel such gratitude & appreciation for the friendship you shared with your friend. ?. I too have a very special friend that I met in 7th grade (long, long time ago), that has had a hugh impact on my life. We talk quite often, and she too, stimulates my brain and challenges me to think on a deeper level that I am sometimes capable of on my own. That is something I truly appreciate in a friend. The words to the song are beautiful & I loved listening to it. Thank you for sharing. Hope you have a good week!

    1. Cindy, you exactly said my feelings. It was a rough holiday but I am doing ok. I love that you have a friend that knows you so well. I am very blessed to have known him, and also to have such wonderful friends as you in my life. God bless you! Xoxo

  4. I am so sorry for your loss – what a gift a true friendship is to our soul.
    I’m walking beside you on your gratitude march. Have you read “Thank and Grow Rich” by Pam Grout? I gobbled it up in less than 2 days. Completely life-changing – my life has made a complete 360 change due to two simple words – thank you.
    Speaking of thanks – thank you for spreading your love and crossing my path. I always count you among my many blessings. xo

  5. Hi Joanne – I am so sorry for the loss of your dear friend. 22 years is a tired and true friendship to be certain. Thank you for the authentic glimpse into what you are feeling and dealing with at you walk out your word of ‘gratitude’ for this year. I am so grateful to hear that you have other friends in your life too, like your blogging friend who are there supporting you and encouraging you along the way. I actually haven’t read the book you “the art of racing the rain” you mentioned, so I will check them out. I am always looking for new things to read. I am your neighbor today at #TellHisStory

    1. Hi Debbie, thank you so much for stopping by. It is so nice to meet you. I checked out your website and you are a very interesting person! Thank you for acknowledging my friendship with GB. He was a wonderful person. P.S. how did you find me?

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