I had the chance to talk with Liza, a hotel worker, one afternoon. I asked her about her “special child.” With tears in her eyes, she told me that she had passed away a year ago. I asked how she felt. Did she feel that God is unfair? Without battling an eyelash, she retorted by saying, “Despite of the short time that we were together, I am still thankful to God that He had given me a daughter so beautiful inside out. We didn’t communicate verbally because she couldn’t speak.. Our soul speak to each other through a sign language. . Those were the happiest moments of my life . I missed her, especially when I look at the chair she used to sit on while waiting for me from work. I’m blessed to have her.”
I was touched by what I heard. Because there are people who overlooked the blessings that they have received from the Lord when they are given problems in life. We often complained on what we don’t have, not realizing that there are those who want to exchange places with us because we are more lucky than them.
I am reminded of a story of a man who always complained because he had no shoes until he saw a man who had no feet. Only then did he realize that he was more blessed than the man across the street.
I believe that the greatest blessing that we received from the Lord is the gift of life. We may not realized how precious life is because we are more focused on our problems, forgetting that there are people who are struggling their last breath. So, let’s be thankful on the gift of life.
There are other things we should be thankful for. These are the following as pointed out by Amy Morin, a psychotherapist of Lifehack website:
Good health. Even if your health isn’t great, you likely still have some working parts to be thankful for.
Money in the bank. Having just a few coins make you richer than most people on earth.
Good friends. Often, it’s the quality of friendships, not the quantity.
Your parents. Even if they’re dysfunctional, they gave you life.
Learning from mistakes. If we never made mistakes, we wouldn’t learn much. So, it is one of those things we should be thankful for – the lesson we learned.
Having a home. Whether you live in an apartment, mansion, or a tent, having a place to call home is something to be thankful.
Laughter. Without laughter, the world would be a sad place.
Sunshine. The sun’s warmth can brighten any day.
Time. Although we often don’t think there’s enough of it, time is something we should not take for granted.
Love. The world would be a different place if we lacked the ability to love.
Eyesight. Being able to see allows us to view the world’s beauty.
Waking up today. Simply waking up today means you have things to be thankful for.