Lenten Reflection: Hope

From one of my moms meditation books:

Life is not without pain and travail. They are necessary to new awareness, which promotes growth. And the gift of growth is joy& We can have hope. Joy does await each of us today& And we need joy in our lives& We must open our eyes to it.

Years ago, after watching an Oprah episode, I decided to begin a gratitude journal. Each day I made the time to list five things that I was thankful for . Some days, it was so easy to think of five joyful thoughts. There have been days that I could have easily listed fifty things that I was grateful for.

Then there were those other days. The days that seemed confusing, endless, and sometimes almost unbearable. I tried so hard to be a loving Christian woman. Why were things so hard sometimes? My mom was struggling, my marriage was ending. The bills were mounting, my home was flooding.

And yet- God gave me the gifts of two beautiful children, and a loving support system to hold me and give me hope and joy. I could still come up with five things each day that I was thankful for.

Life goes on. There is hope. Honestly, I havent been writing in my journal everyday. A lot of days I am lying in bed thanking God for five things before I sleep. Some days the kids and I do an oral gratitude journal at dinnertime. I have been able to find hope, joy, and growth in my life. Thank you God.

Robin Maciejowski

March 15, 2009

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