Ironic, isn’t it?
It took a potentially fatal condition to introduce me to what’s now a popular phrase – a “gratitude list.”

Pick up any self-help book or check any self-help blog and you see the term.
Therapists recommend writing a “gratitude list” to reaffirm the positive in your life.

It took many months of Al-Anon – and letting Jacob find his own way – before the concept of a “gratitude list” had meaning.

Today, walking Charlie, our 3-year-old Greyhound, I ponder what makes me most grateful.

It begins knowing that Jacob has more than 9 years in recovery. I never take that for granted. And soon is his upcoming marriage to a young woman who is his perfect “better half.”

Gratitude goes even deeper.

Topping the list are the big three – family, friends and a home.

But there are smaller moments, those that fill my heart in the quiet of Charlie’s daily walks.

-The gracefulness and sheer beauty of this animal by my side
-A first-grader in her navy uniform, pink cheeks and ponytail, on her first day of school
-Memories of my mother
-That I still have memory!
-Al-Anon and AA
-A lunch date with a longtime friend
-The feel of fine mist on my bare arms
-And the open gate that welcomes me home, again

The gratitude list changes.
There are always items to add.

And for you?
Will you share yours?