My mother grew up in a small community in southwest Oklahoma. She shared with me several great stories of her time in this little farming town. It was easy to tell that, although her childhood was not filled with material things, it was a full life surrounded by family and friends. My mom’s childhood was not always easy, but she saw much of it as a blessing.
One particular story that my mom often shared with me was about my grandmother’s determined work to care for her family after the death of my grandfather. My grandmother was left with five young children to care for and little resources to do so. My mom said that my grandmother planted a garden in every available spot around town. She worked her gardens and canned her harvest to feed her family.
My mom taught me an invaluable lesson about gratitude through stories like these. It would be easy to look back on difficult circumstances, such as the loss of a spouse and parent, and find little to be thankful for, but my mom always saw the blessings in these hard times. She chose be grateful for what they were able to accomplish in the face of sadness and adversity. This spirit of gratitude gave my mother a strength to face difficult times throughout her life.
Each of us have the ability to choose how we see the circumstances in our lives. We can focus on the tragic, unfortunate and often uncontrollable moments or we can chose to be grateful, event in the midst of tough times. I am reminded, as I think back on the stories that my mom would share, that there is tremendous strength in gratitude.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
