Something to be Grateful For

Sunrise in Yosemite Valley

by Gilbert Munger

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos into order,
confusion into clarity….
It turns problems into gifts,
failures into success,
the unexpected into perfect timing,
and mistakes into important events.
Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today
and creates a vision for tomorrow.

~ Melodie Beattie

This month, July, I want to celebrate thankfulness.

The famous American conservationist, naturalist and writer John Muir (1838-1914), penned these beautiful lines:


The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.


Yes indeed, there is always something to be thankful for.

It was Papa, my father, and Mama, my mother, who taught me that early in life.

As a young girl of around 6 or 7, I would remember waking up to the sound of classical music playing in our living room, Such lovely music would always do something to my young heart - fill it with a sense of excitement, something to look forward to, give the message that life was beautiful...that everything was going to be okay.

As my sister and I hopped out of bed, Papa would greet us with his big cheerful smile, "It's another lovely day, my daughters. Time to get ready for school."

Mama would be at the kitchen, preparing breakfast , so it was Papa who would bathe us, help us get dressed, and fix our hair. I remember that he would sometimes braid my hair, and as he gently brushed it, he would say to me, "Look at that lovely girl in the mirror." And there he was standing behind me, beaming with pride.

The breakfast table would be prepared with good things to eat - simple nutritious food. Always rice, and something to go with it, like omelette, or sausages... then oatmeal... a slice of fruit... maybe a hardboiled egg... a glass of milk.

It was a morning routine that deeply embedded in my heart the gentleness of a father's love... the faithfulness of a mother's care.

It wrote the unspoken message in my tender heart: there is always something to be thankful for. I am going to be cared for. Everything is going to be all right.

Then the school bus would come. Our school things would be ready by the door, our lunch boxes prepared, and Mama or Papa would send us off with a hug and a kiss, and as my sister and I went up the bus, our hearts were full, ready to start the day.

All this ritual never took more than an hour, for we had to be quick. But I do not recall at that early age being harassed, or hurried...there is such a gentleness in the memories of my early years.

Life was good.

I did not think that it required much effort to keep our home neat and tidy, our floors shiny, our bathrooms clean and sweet smelling... Nor was I aware that after we left, my parents would also leave soon after, to go to the government offices where they faithfully worked until the days of their retirement.

My parents were simple folks who had simple wants and simple joys - but I believe they have left me with a most important legacy - thankfulness.

It wasn't a daily lesson on saying a verbal thank you, not at all. I learned that life is good and that there is something to be thankful for in the way my parents loved us consistently. It was an unspoken message that left a deep imprint on my heart.

There is something about gratitude that makes my heart soft and open. Not resisting what life has to offer. Gratitude helps me to go through life with open hands, one of the many threads running through the fabric of my life.

It is not easy to live this way, I know, in a world that constantly screams at us, forcing us to focus on what is wrong, and concentrate on how others have mistreated us, or said unkind things of us... it's not easy.

I suppose that is the reason why Paul had to remind us to do all things without grumbling and arguing, because it is so easy for us to fall into that faultfinding habit.

But really the words of Paul are so wise,

Do all things without complaining and disputing
that you may become blameless and harmless,
children of God without fault
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world,
holding fast the word of life...
(Philippians 2:14-16)

I have realized that thankfulness is still the best antidote to a grumbling and complaining spirit.


Life has not always been kind to me. There have been many disappointments, plans that have miscarried, a relationship that's taking forever to heal...

The past weekend I nursed a stubborn head cold that kept me in bed, giving me too much time to think on all the things that needed attending to in my life...

I've also been wondering why a particular loved one in my life has continued to nurture something against me, and for the life of me, I just can't figure out what else I need to do to make her forgive me and love me and accept me just as I am...

things not right,

things that need fixing and repairing,

things that need to be sorted out...


There's just no escaping the reality of this imperfect life, and that we live with so much brokenness in this world...

we go through that everyday!


But it need not be my focus.

Because the truth is that there is so much beauty around us, and that these are mere shadows, or blurred reflections, of the gloriously beautiful life that is waiting for us in eternity!

Yes, thankfulness does that to us - it helps us to be heavenly minded, reminding us that the imperfection around us is not all there is to life!

Daily I still choose to wake up at sunrise each morn and look at it as a message from heaven... there is always something to be grateful for!


This July our family celebrated the birthdays of my two daughters-in law.

My two daughters-in-law are so special. They are literally God's gifts to me, and I am thankful to God for this season when I am learning to be another mother in their life, the woman who raised and brought up their husbands, and someone from whom they can also learn new things in this new journey that they are on.


Chosen One's birthday was on July 1.

Chosen One with her husband, Worshiper
Breakfast at home, July 1, 2010

You are a gift to our family, Chosen One.

I have enjoyed getting to know you better. You are a delight with your childlike ways, so full of excitement at each new day. You are not demanding, and I love your simplicity. It is not difficult to make you happy! You bring joy to us, always sitting in front of a cook book, thinking of what to cook. You delight us by your baked goodies, and faithfully providing meals for your husband. You are a good wife to my son.

You inspire him, you encourage him, you try to build up his faith, and you are always believing in the best that is still to come.

You have a heart of faith, dear Chosen One!

I know you must miss your old life with its many opportunities in the big city of Manila, yet you willingly gave them up, to live with your husband in this city. A new place, a new culture, a new language, a new church, new friends, a different lifestyle... yet I never sensed any heaviness in you.

You have tried to adjust, and to blend, and to find a spot where you can be planted, grow, and in the past six months I have seen you bloom in the process!

As you prepare to be a mother of your first baby, who is due to be born by December, I know God is enlarging your heart, and increasing your sphere of influence, with every obedient step you take in the right direction.

I thank God for you!

Chosen One on her birthday

God-given's birthday was on July 10.

God-given with her husband, First Born
At Kai Sei Japanese Restaurant, July 10, 2010

You are a gift to our family, God-given.

You already know that because I've said it to you so many times before. And for the past two years that you've been with us, I have kept discovering many new things about you. What touches me the most about you is your cheerful disposition. You have a sense of humor that just brightens up the atmosphere wherever you are...always finding something funny to laugh about! You really are a light to our family, my dear God-given!

You work hard at your demanding job, and yet each time you come home, you have a bag of something to cook and to prepare. I appreciate your efforts at taking good care of your family - your husband and your son. You look after their needs, you are a good wife and mother!

I love your positive disposition, never opting to give up, although I know that your life is not easy. Yes, you are willing to adjust, willing to give room for First Born to grow and mature, always encouraging him to reach greater heights. You are such a positive influence to him.

And I love your simple and practical ways! Never demanding, but rather always looking for ways to make things better. Your heart is full of hope!

I thank God for you!

This is me and God-given, during her birthday dinner at Kai Sei. I was not well that weekend, but I was glad we were able to celebrate her birthday as a family.
July 10, 2010

Chosen One and God-given




...after a certain number of years our faces become our biographies.

- Cynthia Ozick