I’ve Got a New Gratitude

Good Morning DearHearts,

Well who’s this in my email box?  Someone who has been absent from blogging lately – ME!

It’s been quite a summer, not really cruel but definitely different. If you happen to watch my YouTube videos of A Course in Miracles Workbook, you would have noticed a bright pink accessory on my left arm – a cast.  Yes, for the first time EVER I broke a bone, well actually several in my wrist when I fell running in my home. 

I had teased everyone whenever I wrote about it; the title of the blog would be “Don’t Run in Slippers”.  Even though that is not the title I settled on, it’s still not a good idea to be fast paced in non jogging footwear.

Those of you who have read or seen my first book Good Morning DearHearts (sound familiar) know I am always looking for the blessing or the miracle in every situation and circumstance.  Sometimes it is readily noticed but sometimes the awareness doesn’t arrive until long after the experience.

This time the gratitude from the fall, operation and healing came to me in waves so to speak.  Some of the blessings were for those who rallied around to help me to the emergency room (thank you Ralph and Randy).  Also a thank you to Adam who came to open up cat food cans and just generally assist with all of the caretaking for me and my kitties. I did not realize it takes two hands to open up a Fancy Feast™.

This summer became a journey in appreciation for the small activities once commonplace in my daily life but impossible during the healing process.  Being able to pick up something or even to hold my hand flat on a table were unachievable tasks. I realized I needed assistance to “pickup” the kitty litter from the big box store every two weeks. 

I was actually grateful to be right handed since my left wrist was the broken one and I would have been rendered completely unable to function or sign my name. I learned the most efficient way to wrap my arm in a plastic bag in order to shower. I was never more grateful for my natural curly hair because using a hair dryer wasn’t in the cards. The smallest chores like changing the cat’s water bowls were not possible with one hand and a broken appendage.

Realizing my temporary disability gave me a deep sense of appreciation for how nonchalant I have been with performing simple responsibilities and tasks. Without doubt I never gave the everyday chores a second thought, I just did them. On the first morning after the incident as I tried to open up the cans for the cat’s morning meal I suddenly realized the power and privilege of two hands. I ended up using my teeth to remove the lid, all the while hearing my dentist scream in my head. It was after that when I asked Adam for help.

Another “lesson” from this summer was learning to ask and receive help. I have lived on my own and been responsible for raising my children and taking care of their needs and maintaining the home.  Most of the time there wasn’t anyone to ask for assistance so I had to learn to cope with whatever situation (or snake in the house) happened. I was the one who was asked to help others not the other way around.

I realize the biggest block to asking for assistance with anything is the belief the request will be denied. That would feel awful so the way to avoid the possibility of a rejection is to never ask.  It seems this was one of the main lessons that came with the breakage. Being humble is not being weak it’s learning to stand in the strength of spirit.  This was a big lesson.

We are all connected in this world and learning to accept that means not only being available for others but allowing others to be part of our journey. Of course we notice our companions but now we get to be grateful to have them help us along the way. The journey becomes easier and more enjoyable when we lose the fear of asking.

“Your gratitude to your brother is the only gift I want. I will bring it to God for you, knowing that to know your brother is to know God.”[1]

As this calendar year begins to close let me gently remind you of the opportunity to begin the Workbook Lessons again (or for the first time) on January 1, 2024.

ALSO, if you are looking for a great little stocking stuffer may I suggest “Wisdom With a Twist” my newest book. It’s available on my website JanetWeissman.com or as a kindle publication on Amazon.  My first book “Good Morning Dearhearts” is also available both places.

Hope your HolyDays are happy days.

In Love, Light & Peace,

Janet Weissman

©2023 All Rights Reserved

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[1] ACIM Text Chap4 VI 7:2-3