In my present season of grief and regret, I am finding that there is no way through apart from gratitude, and that, in fact, thankfulness is my greatest help.

Not a plaster of it applied on the wound, not some anesthetic thanks to numb or replace the sadness, but instead, a choice to remember all that has been fantastically good and to honor it by keeping it undiminished and celebrated.

Making the choice as well to see, to name, to embrace all that is genuinely gift in the present time and beyond—the great kindness of friends, a purpose to fulfill, the lovely world with all its gifts, the presence of God, and hope for the future.