“GRATITUDE”

 This poem was posted very recently on the Mindful Christianity website and it seemed appropriate to include it in St Mary’s series of poetry blogs. The author was a practitioner in family matters and these words emerged from a project about parenthood.

 At first sight it may not look like a poem perhaps, but is in a free verse format and is, I believe, distinctly poetry in action. It identifies certain experiences in a family life and then the  result or benefit – a statement and an outcome.

It has some of the feel of the Biblical Proverbs and as I listened again to the Beatitudes last Sunday there was that each statement of blessing was followed by an appropriate and beneficial outcome.

 Not everything in the poem will necessarily apply to us all the time, but these are experiences which are the essence of our life, simply expressed and for which we can be profoundly grateful. For gratitude is a universal.

 There is a variety of things that can conjure positive feelings of appreciation or gratitude that may guide people towards meaning and better health. Ralph Waldo Emerson sums it in these words.

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” 

So to this poem – enjoy and reflect. We do have much to be grateful for.

                              I am grateful for …

Early wake-ups = Children to love

House to clean = Safe place to live

Laundry = Clothes to wear

Dirty dishes = Food to eat

Crumbs under the table = Family meals

Shopping to do = Money to use

Toilets to clean = Indoor plumbing

Lots of noise = Kids having fun

Endless questions = Kids learning

Getting into bed sore and tired = I’m still alive

Chelsea Lee Smith

MomentsADay.com

 Submitted by Roger Verrall November 2^nd, 2010