9 Days to Gratitude: a Thanksgiving Novena {Day Nine}

For those of you just joining in, this is the last part of a series on cultivating gratitude in preparation for Thanksgiving. You can see Day One here, Day Two here,  Day Three here, Day Four here, Day Five here, Day Six here, Day Seven here, and Day Eight here.

I have to admit that this novena has been a challenge for me. Challenging because I promised I would post for 9 consecutive days (something I have never done before). Challenging because it forced me to really reflect on what I was thankful for that particular day. Challenging because life is not perfect, and I am not perfect, so about halfway through I considered forgetting the whole thing. But I believe in persistence and discipline, and, like I mentioned in Day One, it's so much easier for me to default to ingratitude and grumpiness. The past week and a half has been just as full of ups and downs as any other time in my life, but what made it different was having to take the time to see the good in my life. Andy and I found ourselves jokingly reminding each other to lighten up. Crankiness is extremely contagious, and all it takes is one comment about the refugee crisis, or terrorist groups, or finances, and the gloom sets it.

One of our favorite exchanges on The Dick Van Dyke Show is between Rob Petrie (Dick van Dyke) and his dentist friend and neighbor Jerry Helper. Rob has gone to another dentist, and doesn't want Jerry to know about it. He thinks if he doesn't show Jerry his teeth, Jerry won't find out about his lack of loyalty:

Jerry Helper: Hey, Rob, I'm glad the girls are gone. I heard a couple jokes at the convention I gotta tell ya. Come on, sit down.
Rob Petrie: Uh... Jer... I'd... d'I'd... I don't think we ought to be telling any jokes right about... Hadn't you been reading the papers?
Jerry Helper: What, what?
Rob Petrie: Well, there's a lot of... FAMINE and DROUGHT and PESTILENCE.
Jerry Helper: Where?
Rob Petrie: Well, it's around. A lot of it's going around, Jer.

When the conversation is getting a bit too heavy, one of us tries to lighten the mood, by exclaiming, "War! and Drought! and Pestilence!" It never fails, and we're soon laughing at the thought of Dick Van Dyke's hilarious antics. 

From "A Man's Teeth are Not His Own" 

Day Nine

Today I am grateful for the little things.

What I have realized over the past 9 days is that Andy and I are incredibly blessed: both in the big things, like our beautiful and energetic son, our loving family and friends, our home and work that provides for our needs, and in the little things, like nap time, the Dick Van Dyke Show, drinking hot cocoa, enjoying a brisk walk, reading for pleasure, playing on the floor with Mr. D. 

Not me. But doesn't it look like she's really enjoying her drink? 

It is, of course, the big things that tend to get the most attention. The milestones, birthdays, graduations, weddings. But the little things add up, and bring texture and warmth to our days. In his book, Essentialism: the Disciplined Pursuit of Less Greg McKeown tells a story about a man whose young child had suddenly past away. The man was looking through his videos of his daughter, and realized that very few of them were actually of her. There was footage of all the places they had been, activities they had done together, but little of her on an ordinary day. It was these ordinary moments, perhaps the way her eyes crinkled as she laughed, that he craved now that she was gone. 

These days, I have been trying to slow down, to put my phone down, to take in all that is around me. Mr. D cruising around the coffee table. Andy reading to Mr. D before bed. Steam rising from my morning cup of tea. Birds feasting at the feeder on our back deck. A favorite song playing on the radio. These little things are so easy to ignore. But, my prayer is that this year, even beyond this Thanksgiving, I will continue to pay attention. 

I just can't get enough of this little guy. Melts my heart. Every time.