Friday, December 9, 2011
When there's nothing left to say or do
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Aleli is now 3 months old, and Kellye and I continually reflect on all of the many things for which we are grateful. The week of Thanksgiving was spent with many family members, including my siblings who flew into town from all over the world. We sort of had a 3-day-Thanksgiving-celebration, spent at different houses, eating great food every day, and really enjoying being together, as well as sharing Aleli with everyone.
Aleli is now 3 months old, and Kellye and I continually reflect on all of the many things for which we are grateful. The week of Thanksgiving was spent with many family members, including my siblings who flew into town from all over the world. We sort of had a 3-day-Thanksgiving-celebration, spent at different houses, eating great food every day, and really enjoying being together, as well as sharing Aleli with everyone.
In addition to family, I have a great internship in which I am learning applicable skills and information, but is also flexible in allowing me time to be home when needed. Kellye's job gave her 12 full weeks of paid time off. We have a great community of friends who are always doing fun and interesting things. And most of all, our little girl is healthy, happy, and just so stinking amazing.
We reflect on all of these things, and we feel a deep sense of gratitude. It's easy to write about things we are thankful for, but I feel like I'm learning about a new aspect of gratitude that I haven't realized before:
True gratitude leads to deeper humility.
Kellye and I are both reciprocal givers - we like things to be equal. Many folks gave us cards and gifts for Aleli, and we were careful to write thank you cards back to all of them. We keep a sort of back-of-the-mind mental log of who gave us gifts, and we try to give gifts of equal value back to them. That's a way that we say "thank you," and its also probably a little compulsive and unhealthy, but we won't go there.
The point is, there are some people to whom you can say "thank you" and can write a card, and can even give a gift back at an appropriate time. But when you think of the whole of your life, your family, the health of your child, and a general sense of a happiness - there is nothing more to say or do.
I can't write a thank you cards to my siblings and say "thank you for being in my family!" I can't buy a nice hallmark card to send to God. All I can do is tell my family, express to God, my gratitude and thankfulness.
And once I've done that, there's nothing more to say or do. I just have to receive it, enjoy it, live in it, and be thankful. And to me, that is really humbling. I want to be able to offer something more back.
But when you are truly grateful, all you can be is grateful. There isn't anything more you can, or need to say or do.
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