Expressing Gratitude for What We Have Lost

Losses are an unfortunate but unavoidable part of life. Expressing gratitude for what we have lost can be very difficult, especially if the loss is extremely painful or too recent. The fact remains that good things come out of our losses, even if we're not yet able to see them.

Today is the anniversary of my brother's death, and today I honour his life and the love I still feel for him by focusing on the blessings with unrestrained gratitude. I am grateful for the time I shared with him, all of my memories of him, and the deep love he inspired in me! I am grateful for the life lessons I learned with him, and I am also grateful for the positive changes his tragic death caused in me. Losing him was so painful and I still miss him everyday. His death changed me forever, but most of those changes were very positive and have enabled me to get even more enjoyment out of my own life. His life was a precious gift to me, and I am in no way grateful that he is gone, but I am grateful for all the good things that came out of his life and even his death.

I ask you to contemplate the losses that have deeply impacted your life, but to look for the good things that came out of your experience (before the loss as well as afterward). If your loss is too recent, you might not be able to do this--that's okay because you need to grieve and take time to heal, but try to keep this idea in your heart and mind for later, when you have healed some more. Expressing gratitude for what we have lost doesn't mean we're glad to have lost it, just that we're able to see and appreciate the good that comes from even our most painful experiences. God is always working in our lives to make us stronger, healthier and happier.

Today tell Him, "Thanks for all the things you've done for me, even the ones that hurt me so much I thought I couldn't go on, and the ones that made me so mad at you because I wasn't able to understand your ways at the time. Thank you for helping me through those difficult times and ones I will face in the future. Thank you for loving me so much, and thank you for all the blessings you have and will continue to send my way, even the ones that really don't feel like blessings at the time!"

~*~Monica Who~*~