Waaaaay back in mid-March, when we were just beginning to take COVID-19 seriously, and when we thought it was going to go on forever (oops, that was just yesterday), one of my cousins decided to tackle the whole situation with a lot more grace and optimism than did this Nana. While I was wah wah wah-ing about there not being toilet paper and when oh when would I ever find yeast again and why couldn’t I hug my loved ones, she started a gratitude journal.

Every day for 150 days, she posted on Facebook something for which she was grateful that day. It wasn’t necessarily a major world event or a life changing occasion. She might have been grateful for her spring flowers popping out of the earth early May or for a letter she received from one of her grandchildren the previous day. She was thankful for rain and for sunshine. She was full of joy when she could finally borrow two or three books from the library.

Isn’t that a great way to have tackled this whole COVID situation? I’m sure she wasn’t all smiles and giggles every day for the 150 days that she posted. But every single day, she saw something in her life — even when it was confined to the four walls of her home — for which she could give thanks.

I am a tried-and-true half-glass-empty kind of person. I’m pretty surprised when things work out the way I hope they will. I remember one exercise we did in high school religion class. Fr. Charles broke us up into small groups (the nemesis of self-conscious teenagers such as myself), and asked us to consider which flower each person in the group reminds them of. I really don’t even recall the reason for the exercise. What I do remember, however, is that the group all agreed that the flower Kris reminded them of was a daisy. A daisy. You know, the bright and cheerful flower that graces gardens all over the world in summer, making everyone a bit happier.

Me? A daisy? No way.

But today I’m going to stretch my floral chops and be a daisy. I’m going to name five things for which I am grateful this very day, as I write this blog.

1.  I’m grateful that my husband sees the glass half full EVERY SINGLE DAY. It doesn’t matter what challenges he faces, he sees the positive side of things. His continual hopefulness keeps me grounded.

2.  I’m grateful that all of our grown children have been comfortable letting us see our grandkids during this difficult period in our lives. The day that we were given permission to hug our grandkids literally made me cry with joy.

3.  I’m grateful to have been brought up by parents who somehow knew the most important things to teach us. Things like honesty, humility, love of God, the importance of family, the joy of good food, and many other things.

4.  I’m grateful that our grandkids always make me laugh and keep me humble.

5.  I’m grateful that God created the Kindle so that I always have a book to read.

This is Daisy, signing off. What are you grateful for today?