Salvage a Day's Cinders... ~ Holy Experience

The day had sort of charred.

When the smoke had died down, and we stood in the rubble of day's end, books and dishes, laundry and legos, I feebly looked about and said the only words I could find, our closing ceremony words. (That's what ceremony does: shows you the next thing when you just don't know where to turn.)

"I think we'd best begin counting, children." I make an effort, smile weakly, and try to sound more hopeful than I feel.

And Hope kneels down at prayer bench, and her soft voice, sure and steady, begins. Her hands reach out to finger the glass of prayer bench's flickering candle, the one that's been wavering steady through our crumbling day, and she sings.

"Count your blessings name them one by one, count your blessings, see what God has done....." She looks around the room. "Malakai!"

He grins. "I count gathering the eggs as my blessing, watching that one come right out of the speckled hen." His eyes burn with the memory-joy. And then he rushes to add, not forgetting. "And the blessing of carrying all the eggs in, still warm!"

He's still beaming with the happiness of the gift when he begins the chorus again. "Count your blessings name them one by one, count your blessings, see what God has done...." Eyes gleaming, he hollers, "Mom!"

I'm at the sink now, filling it with suds, hot water, my tired hands and dirty pots.

"Today's blessings?" I look at their waiting little faces, look past them to sinking sun over fields.

"To be honest, right in this moment, all I can see or feel is all that didn't get done today...." And just as the sun touches earth's rim and blazes red, I remember.

"To be a saint is to be

fueled by gratitude,

nothing more, nothing less."

~Ronald Rolheiser

What I get done in a day matters little. No, matters nothing.

Because sainthood isn't about accomplishments. Sainthood's about being grateful for the saving, thankful for the rescue.

What matters in a day is simply that I give thanks.

"[G]ive thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

That's it. That's all a day asks of me, He asks of me. Just to give thanks.

It's what I'm made for, to give Him glory. To glorify Him with gratitude is His perfect will for me, His perfect plan for this day.

I take a deep breath and feel a smile coming. The children are still waiting and I laugh and count too. "I count this moment as my blessing. All of you here and God so good."

The flicker of the prayer bench's flame dances with Hope's happy eyes.

And out of the ashes of a charred day, I watch Him raises up the most exquisite thing of beauty.

Sooty sinners made saints with a halo of gratitude.

Lord, in the midst of a day's ashes, I forget Your will for me. Help me. I know it's simple... and yet, for this sinner, so hard: Give thanks, again, give thanks.

~~ Today, I'm updating links to those who've joined the Gratitude Community. Care to join us?