I am not a fan of this, nor am I grateful for it, either:

• Aches and pains for no reason other than age
• Being caught without toilet paper at the ready, NOT that it has happened recently – I’m just not a fan.
• Gray hair
• Weight gain
• Staying up late, not because it’s fun, but because the anxiety will not allow me to sleep
• Bitter celery
• Ebola
• A granddaughter with fever
• Dog slobber
• Going to someone’s home for dinner and really, really not liking what they are about to serve
• Feeling invisible when all I want is to be noticed
• Diarrhea
• Irrational fear
• Eating something heavenly and still being hungry when it’s gone
• Dead mouse smell

However…

I AM grateful that I am no longer in junior high, or high school, or in my 20’s. I kinda like the stage I’m in.

I AM grateful for indoor plumbing, for private bathroom stalls, and therefore, that I am a woman and don’t have to use a urinal.

I AM grateful for Michelle, because she covers the gray nicely.

I AM grateful that although weight gain is inevitable, I am the same size I’ve been for years.

I AM grateful that when I cannot sleep, my mind seems to come alive and I have the ability to write and pray and reflect.

I AM grateful that I will actually eat celery at all. Bitter is better in a pot of soup.

I AM grateful that God is God and ebola is just ebola. It’s all in the way you look at it.

I AM grateful that my granddaughter has a Mommy who is so loving and caring and is doting on her, covering her little girl with prayer and Tylenol.

I AM grateful for dogs. That’s all. There’s no turning slobber into a gift today.

I AM grateful for an invitation to have dinner in someone’s home – it’s nice to be wanted.

I AM grateful to feel invisible when the world is too much to bear and being alone is rare. I am also grateful to feel invisible when I feel particularly homely and ugly and fat.

I AM grateful that my boss loves funny cards and bought one with the above saying about diarrhea and showed it to me a little bit ago. You thought I had diarrhea today, didn’t you.

I AM grateful that I can feel fear and actually have some healthy fear. It’s okay to be cautious and alert.

I AM grateful that I have taste buds and can appreciate something heavenly-tasting.

And I AM grateful that I haven’t smelled dead mouse in a vewy, vewy long time.