The Shortest Way to All Happiness

"Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world?

It is not he who prays most or fasts most;

it is not he who gives most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity, or justice;

but it is he who is always thankful to God,

who wills everything that God willeth,

who receives everything as an instance of God's goodness

and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.

". . .If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way

to all happiness and all perfection,

he must tell you to make it a rule for yourself

to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you.

For it is certain that whatever seeming calamity happens to you,

if you thank and praise God for it,

you turn it into a blessing.

Could you therefore work miracles,

you could not do more for yourself than by this thankful spirit,

for it heals with a word speaking,

and turns all that it touches into happiness.

". . .though it be the noblest sacrifice that the greatest Saint can offer unto God,

yet is it not tied to any time, or place, or great occasion

but is always in your power and may be the exercise of every day.

For the common events of every day are sufficient to discover and exercise this temper

and may plainly show you how far you are governed in all your actions by this thankful spirit."

~William Law (1686-1761), A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life [formatting mine]

Thank You, Father,
for Your Word,
for Your goodness,
for fellowship with saints of former days through their words,
for wise men and women who point me toward You,

for completion of To Live Is Christ Bible study,
for celebrations of Amore's and my dad's birthdays,
for an extra blessing in visiting the Perot Museum with my parents, Terza, and her boys,
for boys turning Aunt T's wheelchair-for-the-day into a highlight and adventure,
for giving that young lady quick reflexes (think Neo in The Matrix) to get out of our way when Lightning pushed a little too fast,
for Rocky, age 4, sitting in my lap because he was too little for a turn at pushing,
for laughter together,
for opportunity to tell the twins how I helped their mommy when they were just tiny babes,
for celebrating a Bible study friend's international adoption with a shower,
for plans to celebrate Amore's parents' sixtieth wedding anniversary this weekend,
for a visit from Olivia next door, whose birthday is today,

for not fainting during an uncomfortable lab test,
for clear results showing the cause of my shoulder pain,
for another surgery on the horizon,
for husband, family, and friends ready to help again with the things I won't be able to do,
for the hope of a whole, imperishable resurrection body,

for disappointing job news for one sister,
for good job news for the other,
for Amore's hard work and skill at his job,
for his innate leadership gifts that come to the fore wherever he goes,

for the greening of my little world despite drought conditions,
for a few goldfinches stopping at our feeder on their way north,
for a pair of actual geese honking a few meters above us before stopping off at our pond,
for the first bluebonnet sighting,
for nearly an inch of rain yesterday,
for sunrise and sunset attesting to God's faithfulness.
(2014 gifts journal #962-991)