Every morning when I wake up and before I get out of bed. I make a gratitude list in my head.

I often think about our losses, pains, fears, and stresses; in all the chaos of life, it’s easy to forget to remember what I have, what I gain, and what I need to be grateful for.  There is always something to be thankful for, even in the unwanted things that force us to appreciate and respect life.

I decided to make a daily gratitude list a couple of years ago. I want to post it on the blog occasionally; it has altered my perspective and given me a positive and grounding way to start the day.

There is always pain. There is always good.

Pain and loss are parts of life; gratitude is optional, like suffering. It keeps me focused on the good.

This morning, I came outside to see Jamie Alexander, our honest and hard-working roofer, up on the roof, returning to finish repairing the damage to our roof caused by the season’s last and nastiest winter story (hopefully the latest).

I’m grateful to Jamie.

He put other work aside to patch the holes leaking water from the roof into the house when water was pouring in.

He found further damage in the top, last worked on a couple of hundred years ago, and said he couldn’t leave it damaged, so he has been coming back when he can –  he is very busy – because, in his words, “I just couldn’t leave it that way.” His efforts to finish have been blocked by wind, cold, and rain.

And it’s not easy work under any circumstances.

We did not doubt that he would return. I’m grateful for Jamie and people like him. This matters.

I hope he gets another dog to replace his long-time canine pal, who died a few weeks ago. Jamie is a good person, the real deal.

– I’m grateful to Dr. Daly, my podiatric surgeon, and her staff for doing a thorough and successful job of amputating a toe that needed to go. The stitches will come out in two weeks, and I will thank her again for helping me walk normally again. I am very grateful for that. The next step is a new brace.

-I’m grateful for the remarkable Maria, who sometimes pretends to be irritated when her work is interrupted (sometimes she’s not pretending) but who took wonderful and uninterrupted care of me and still is, helping me dress, ice my wound, and keep my leg and my spirits up. Because of her, I am healing rapidly and well.

Amidst the chaos, she has continued to make beautiful art, cheer me up,  see her friends, feed me, and lift me when I sagged. There aren’t enough words. And she continues to go to her beloved belly dancing class, I wouldn’t want to get in the way of that.

-I’m grateful to Zinnia for sensing my tension and pain and comforting me at every turn. She never left my side.

-I’m grateful to a good friend named Iris, who cares about me and has helped me and shown great kindness.

-I’m grateful to Donald Pebble of Leica’s Boston store, who helped me get my new camera and shown me how to use it.

-I’m grateful to my friend Ian McRae for his poetry and for his decision to go to college and learn more about writing.

-I’m grateful to the Mansion residents for showing me such love and concern.

-I’m grateful for my blog and my photography; each has changed my life and led me to truth and authenticity.

-I’m grateful to the blog’s many readers who took the time and trouble to send me messages of comfort and good wishes. That helped.

I could go on and on, but that’s enough for one day. I’m grateful for my farm every day. I have learned that gratitude is not just another word people throw around; it is a practice essential to any kind of spiritual life. It’s easy to fall into the trap of grievance and lament.

I have resolved to give thanks for the many good things in my life every day so that it becomes an integral part of my view of the world and understanding of my life.  Gratitude keeps my soul strong.