The importance of gratitude is a lesson that's been impressed on me for years.  I have had an attitude of gratitude modeled to me by various people.  My husband’s stepfather, Billy Jack, was one of the most grateful people I have known.  He regularly shared how thankful he was for what most people take for granted.  A favorite book, Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place has so many lessons to learn, but one that stands out is how Corrie learned to be grateful even in the midst of a concentration camp where she had been imprisoned for hiding Jews during the Holocaust.  Corrie discovered the meaning of “giving thanks in all circumstances.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)

So this past year, I learned that even a broken heart can find something for which to be grateful.  We thought we were going to lose Mom in January when she was hospitalized.  She even told my dad that she was ready to go home to heaven.  But, thankfully, God granted us a little more time with her.  Not only did we have more time, but the last couple weeks of Mom’s life were filled with some very special moments.  She got to celebrate her 77th birthday with most of the family.  My sister-in-law and niece took her and my dad for a day trip to one of their favorite places.  She had a lovely Valentine’s Day celebration with my dad at her nursing home.  In fact, she was so sharp that day that she was able to tell me all the details of what they ate and what the entertainment was.  I had asked her to pray for me as I had to interview to stay at my beloved school.  She encouraged me by saying she would pray, but that she didn’t “know why they wouldn’t want me.”  Mom always was the encourager.  At the time, we did not know what a blessing these last two weeks would be.

I got the call Wednesday, February 17, from my sister that Mom was gone.  We could both hardly talk as we sobbed and realized that the time we dreaded was here.  My sister was watching her older granddaughter as her daughter-in-law was in labor with the new baby.  The responsibility fell to me, the little sister, to take my dad to say good-bye to Mom.  Not a task I wanted.  But, even that day, God made me aware of reasons to be grateful.  One, I was already prepared for a substitute as I was scheduled to attend training.  I learned from the hospital staff that Mom had asked to brush her teeth, drink some water, and put on her lipstick before she went to bed the night before.  When I was a kid, Mom never left the house without her lipstick.  I was thankful she seemed ready to go and went peacefully.  I learned from my dad that he had called and talked to her after she went to bed.  Another reason to be thankful, she got to speak to the love of her life before going home.  I was also grateful to see that my mom, who had become a little demanding in her illness, was so loved by the staff and other residents and would truly be missed by many.  And, later that day, in the midst of our deep sorrow, we all got to experience great joy in meeting Mom’s newest great-granddaughter.  I am thankful for God’s timing as Ellie was born past her due date, but I think she was born right on time.

In the days and weeks that followed, I was also grateful beyond words for the love and support poured out on my family.  A close friend from small group came to our house as soon as he heard, just to pray with us.  My principal was such a help in arranging coverage for my class for the rest of the week and reassuring me that all was okay.  The cards, calls, and prayers of those who were hurting with us, did so much to carry us through our grief.  One dear friend sent me a card with a packet of “Forget-Me-Not” seeds.  When I returned to work, I had flowers, hugs, and cards from students and my school family.

Loss is never easy, but it helps to be able to find the blessings that can come with it.