Gratitude for the Problems & The Joys

By Opal Palmer Adisa & Teju Adisa-Farrar

It’s easy to give thanks in the midst of abundance

Easy to be grateful when others applaud and surround us

Effortless to laugh when you have shelter and food

Simple to forgive those you love and who return your love

But what the world needs is your unconditional gratitude

Blessing and uplifting those who trespass against you

Those who test you beyond grace

Those who cause you to ball your fist,

Those who make you spew vehement from your mouth

Those who push you to unkind thoughts of revenge

But since you’re grateful for your infinite blessings

Today you pledge to bless the ants or roaches or mice that invade your kitchen

acknowledging that they too are gifts from the creator

Bless the driver who cuts you off

for reminding you to be more alert and mindful

Bless the drunkard staggering in the road

for cautioning you to imbibe with balance and to respect yourself

Bless the postal worker or the teller or server who seems not to realize

you’re on your lunch break and have two more errands to do before returning to work

Bless your children or your neighbor’s children whose actions cause you to ask

in dismay are they deaf and blind

for they remind you to practice non-judgment, help you to recognize how deep and wide your love is and how patient your resolve

Bless those who have moved from the class of friendship to acquaintances

for reminding you that everyone changes, and we each need to know when to step back

as well as move forward, sometimes, without others

Bless those begging on the streets year after year regardless of their circumstances

for making you more thankful of your home and that you’re able to help and

can choose to when you want with generosity

Bless the doctors with their prognosis and their pills

thankful that you know your own body best and you are its first and best healer

Bless all those things that can go wrong that do go wrong

but that you choose to interpret differently for you understand that sometimes

there are forces beyond your control that want you to dig deeper and

unearth strength and strategies you would have never discovered otherwise

As you hold the hands of those you love in joy

and your heart fills with laughter today

Remember to always remember to give thanks

As your glistening eyes connect with the eyes of your family and friends

appreciate days off that are never enough days off

Remember to always remember that you are blessed

As the songs and colors of the trees remind you of the holidays

just as oxtail, rice and peas and plantains remind you that your culture is always present

Remember to always remember to be grateful

Do not forget those who are not giving thanks today

as this holiday reminds them that they are homeless and what they have lost

Do not forget those people who have no feast today

those living in poverty and madness and danger dance around them

Do not forget to appreciate this day while remembering these things

Do not shy away from eating your belly full even though some at the university,

or in the park and other places have nothing but their glorious life

Bless and pray that their needs will be met and be appreciative

I am grateful for happiness

I am thankful for relaxation

I am remembering with delight Lavern’s macaroni and cheese

and already imagining seconds

I am remembering siblings, mother and grandmother, cousins and grandfathers, those alive as well as dead

I am thankful for everyone and the love that brings us together

I am grateful for my life

I am thankful for my blessings

I am grateful for everyone and today and everyday I bless the world…