Daily Gratitude: During the winter months, some people have to show a great deal of courage to just get out of bed. Others may condemn that but they don’t understand what holidays, cold weather and minimal sunlight can do to some people. Or, perhaps, this might be the first holiday without a loved one. The survivor(s) is barely making it through and feels as if there is absolutely nothing to grasp onto. Then, along come all these cheery songs and people saying things that always begin with “have a happy…..” (fill in any number of holidays). Then when Thanksgiving is over and they feel they have somewhat of a reprieve, along come the religious holiday…exhaustion has taken hold. And, wait, there’s more….it’s not over yet. Here comes the “New Year” and eveyone’s resolutions for doing thinigs that will give them a better life, blah blah blah. They’re lying in bed or on the couch thinking “i just want to scream. It’s all i can do to open my eyes every morning, make it to the bathroom to try to be presentable and you are out there shouting about a wonderful new year. It’s so dark in here and no one out there cares…..” Do you know anyone who might be feeling this way or have you ever experienced this? To open their eyes every day takes more courage than i think I’ll ever have. Yet, we don’t call these people “hero’s” because they didn’t “do something” that we consider courageous. That’s bogus. Each person suffering loss is more of a hero than most of those who get all the publicity. Step back and look at those around you and see if you can glimpse the courage they are using to get through the next few weeks. But don’t forget about them afterwards.
