Today I realise that there are many things I have to be grateful for – the first among them being my table of plenty.The first among them being the ability to eat what I want when I want.   How lucky I am  to be able to eat what I want when I want ( yes despite my Government’s ban on beef my favourite meat). I am grateful not only for the ability to purchase what I want but also the fact that I can eat what I want because I don’t have any dietary restrictions because of health reasons. With most of my friends on the other side of fifty, there are several of us who have to change our eating habits either because of extra weight or because of other health issues.

Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything.

— Author Unknown

It’s been a while since I’ve heard this prayer but last week  while I was attending my grandson’s orientation at Nursery school I was happy to hear it again. There’s a strange kind of comfort hearing these words recited in the singsong voice of the teacher, and it brought back a rush of memories – mainly of school when we had to say this prayer before lunch every day. Thanking God for what is on our table is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when one is hungry but it is definitely on our minds when we burp our satisfaction. So today I am grateful for the chance to hear this prayer, reminding me of how lucky I am to go to school yet again!

Taking care of my grandson is rewarding for me and helpful to my daughter. How lucky am I that I have the energy and capacity to take care of yet another generation in this world. I am way past the age of conventional motherhood but my grandson keeps me young and while most of my friends have creaky knees, I can still squat in a trice! The chance to meet other young mothers and watch another generation is not available to all – many grandmothers are long distance grannies while some women don’t have grand children at all!

What I am most grateful for though this month, is the roof over my head. With the rains literally pouring down on us, I am lucky that I have a house that doesn’t leak. I am also happy that I don’t have to go out to work and can stay dry and comfortable while its raining outside. And today as I sit in front of the computer, I am grateful for the sun even if it is a bit weak and pale. While the rains have been welcome, the continuous drip this past week has left my clothes hanging on the wash line forever so I’m grateful indeed for this breather.

With all my friends chugging along towards old age, many of us have old parents to care for. Today I am grateful for my own parents who are (touch wood )in good health. Reliable help is hard to come by these days and looking after sick parents can be quite a back breaking job for children who are aging themselves.

We’ve just passed the Summer Solstice and in some parts of the world the days just get longer and longer. At times like this I’m grateful indeed for living where I am – for days that are almost equally divided between darkness and light for the better part of the year .

For these and many other things, I am indeed very grateful.