Greg Freeman: Sometimes We Need to be Reminded of the Blessings Around Us. P-D 11/25/1999

Headline: SOMETIMES WE NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THE BLESSINGS AROUND US
Reporter: By Greg Freeman

Publication: ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Last Printed: Thur., Nov. 25, 1999
Section: METRO, Page: D1, Edition: FIVE STAR LIFT

A lesson in gratitude

During a class after church on Sunday, our group listened to a song recorded by a young man.
In a clear, strong and pleasant voice, he sang about all the things that he was thankful for: He sang of the sounds of birds, the joy of nature, the feeling of raindrops. When the song ended, Donna, who led our group, explained that the singer was only 23 and studying to become a priest when he died last year of leukemia. Despite his illness, he remained thankful for so much.

The song and story struck me. How many times have I complained about things, without realizing that I really have much to be thankful for?

Today, Thanksgiving Day, seems an appropriate time to take stock of all that I really am thankful for.

I am thankful for nature.
Like the young man who was studying to become a priest, I appreciate nature. I take it for granted far too often. But the sensation of a gentle rain cascading on my face, the feel of a slight wind caressing my skin, the sound of rustling leaves on a clear, dry day -- I love them all.
They remind me that the world is a much bigger place than I can even imagine. They remind me that despite all of the bad things that go on in the world, there are plenty of good ones as well.

I am thankful for not being hungry.
Like most Americans, I'm overweight. I dream of being thinner; of having a body that would make women swoon and men jealous.
Still, I'm thankful for never having to go to bed hungry, as millions do each night. I'm thankful that I've never had to stand in line for handouts of food, or had to feel my stomach bloated, not because of too much food, but because of too little.

I am thankful for life.
Some of you followed my progress earlier this year as I learned that I had prostate cancer and subsequently underwent prostate surgery. When I first learned that I had cancer, my first thought was that I was going to die.
But I didn't. The surgery went well, my doctors were excellent, and my prayers were answered. I survived, and I continue to get better, day by day. I'm thankful that my life has gone on. And I'm thankful that the most recent tests have shown that the cancer is gone, hopefully never to return.

I am thankful for my health.
I'm not as healthy as I'd like to be. But I am able to walk, to move my arms and legs, to speak in a normal voice, to use my brain, my eyes, my ears. I realize that everyone is not as fortunate.

I am thankful for my family.
     I don't think I've ever appreciated my family more than I do now. Perhaps it's perspective that comes with the graying of my hair, but I've begun to value my family more than ever before. I am grateful for my wife, who has had to put up with me, bad habits and all, for 20 years of marriage.
     I am grateful for my son, who's trying to find his own way in the world now as a college student and who has had to put up with an overachiever for a dad, and the trials and tribulations that go with that.
     I'm grateful for my mother who, to this day, encourages me and shares my times of greatest triumph as willingly as she shares my moments of deepest despair. Without her guidance and strength, I could never have done many of the things I've done in life. Without her, my life today would have been quite different.
     I'm grateful for my sister and brother-in-law, who often share with me different ways of looking at things. I've learned much over the years by looking at issues from other perspectives and, without knowing it, they've been instrumental in helping me do that.

There is so much that I have to be thankful for. And while I've chosen today to pause and think about them, I realize that I should be just as thankful on the other 364 days of the year as well.

Daniel Schesch - Webweaver

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