Finding Gratitude

Let's talk gratitude. When times are good, gratitude comes easy. The only thing you need to look out for in good times, is remembering not to take anything for granted, but outside of that, let the good times roll! Right? But what happens when things are not going so good? What happens when you have lost your job? What happens when you are struggling financially? What happens when there is so much pain, your vision is blurry with tears? How do you find gratitude? How do you express it? This is where the challenge lies. When one bad thing after another hits, and you are left feeling alone and forgotten, how can you possibly be grateful for anything? I know what that feels like. I know what it is like to feel like nothing is going right. In my darkest night, something strange happened. I found myself in tears, overwhelming, nonstop tears. The surprise here was that those tears stemmed from an overwhelming sense of gratitude. It caught me by surprise. How was I feeling this much gratitude during the worst time of my life?

Dark times, pain, and suffering show us who we really are, and they help us identify what is important in our lives. Darkness pulls out the light. Darkness makes the light stand out, like a lighthouse in the middle of the night. Seeing the light, being drawn to the light to escape the dark, shows you what is really important, what really matters, and you find things to be grateful for. During my darkest times, I took respite in the light. I basked in its glow and it gave me the fuel I needed to trudge through the dark again. That's what gratitude can do. It can replenish you when are feeling low. It can change your perspective. It can turn you towards the light, and that is why it so important. 

So, I leave you with this. Please look for the light in your dark times. The light may be hard to find and it may be faint, but please keep looking, because finding the light is that important. Finding the light can be just the thing that gets you through the darkness.