One of the great joys of being Nana is watching my kids being Dada and Mama.  They have provided security and stability for their boys with lots of laughter and tickles, and plenty of good food.  When one faceplants and is smarting with pain, there are hugs, comfort and plenty of love.  And, sometimes, a bandage. 

But, if the bump, scrape or fall is one of the minor daily occurrences of toddlerhood the response is, “Bonk!” with a cheerful voice.  So often the child gauges his response by the adult’s response.  It is a joy to watch the teaching process involved in one word.  It says yes, you hurt yourself, but stand up and try again.  This is the kind of thing to ignore. 

I realized that my native tendency is the opposite of “Bonk!”  I really want Acknowledgement of the Struggles and Difficulties and Frustrations and Challenges of my life. I am a regular Florence Nightengale when it comes to nursing my own aches and stresses.  I need someone to say, So it was a hard day with barely time to catch a breath?  Bonk!  I need to remind myself every time the printer jams yet again…Bonk! 

And that is where gratitude enters.  Choosing to be thankful instead of choosing to mope and pout.   I think gratitude, like repentance, is a gift from our Creator.  That is my prayer this morning.  “Give me a thankful heart.”  And I need people around me to remind me to take the little problems of my life less seriously.  Bonk!

O Lord that lends me life,

Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.