What Do I Have to Be Grateful For?

----Ellaeenah JadeFire

"What do I have to be grateful for

When life feels heavy at my door?

When plans unravel, hopes grow thin,

And I don’t know where to begin?"

Perhaps you need not search too far,

Not for the sun, the moon, the star...

The gifts that help you carry on

Are with you here from dusk to dawn.

Your pet who brings a ball to play,

And follows close throughout the day;

That trusting face, that joyful sound;

A faithful love that stays around.

Your grandchildren, full of fun and cheer,

Whose laughter draws the whole world near;

Their little hands, their warm embrace,

The mischief dancing on each face.

A favourite meal, prepared just right,

That brings you comfort with each bite;

A taste that takes you gently back

To all the warmth you sometimes lack.

A walk beneath the falling rain,

And suddenly you’re young again;

You splash through puddles, soaked and free,

And find the child that thrives in glee.

A quiet drink with that dear friend

As one long, tiring day does end;

You share the things you cannot hide,

And leave all of the weight outside.

You kick your shoes off at the door,

And wear the clothes you most adore;

Old slippers shaped around your feet,

A second skin, familiar, sweet.

At early yoga, calm and slow,

You breathe, release, and let things go;

Your body stretches towards the day,

While yesterday slips gently away.

The scales begin to recognise

The patient work, the exercise;

Not just a number looking back,

But proof that you are on your track.

That favourite comic with well-timed lines

Making a difficult day feel fine;

Your laughter, rising deep and true,

The heaviness suddenly leaving you.

The scent of baking that fills the room,

That warm bread unfolding as it blooms;

After all the meals painstakingly made,

There’s joy in something freshly baked.

And when you find, to your surprise,

A parking place before your eyes,

You smile because the smallest win

Can lift the mood you’re travelling in.

An unexpected day of rain,

No crowded roads, no rushing train;

A day at home, a slower pace,

A little breathing room and space.

A call with one who lives away,

Whose face you miss from day to day;

Though many miles may lie between,

Love travels easily through the screen.

These are the things I treasure most;

Not wealth, applause, or words of boast;

But ordinary moments shared,

And quiet signs that I am cared.

Yes, life shall bring its troubled days:

An illness that reshapes our ways,

A career that refuses to rise,

A love that changes before our eyes.

There may be times when nothing moves,

When every choice feels hard to choose;

When what we trusted falls apart,

And fear takes shelter in the heart.

These moments cannot end the pain

Or make what’s broken whole again;

But when the heart feels tired and worn,

They show us that life shall be reborn.

They remind us, even then,

That goodness still can enter in;

That sorrow is not all we own,

And pain need not be faced alone.

A laugh, a meal, a faithful friend,

A voice that calls at day’s long end;

The child, the pet, a warm embrace -

Each one becomes a resting place.

And gratitude can shift our sight

Towards what is steady, warm and right.

It gathers all that still remains

And gives us courage through the change.

It brings fresh air to weary thought,

And shows us gifts we had not sought;

It wakes the hope that hardship hides

And turns our gaze to brighter sides.

From gratitude, new strength can rise;

New doors appear before our eyes.

The heart, once closed by hurt and fear,

Makes room for hope to enter here.

Then something new can find its way:

A chance, a love, a better day.

A path that once could not be seen,

A quiet space where hope turns green.

"What do I have to be grateful for?"

So much that you didn’t see before:

The love, the laughter, rest and rain,

The strength to rise and try again.

And when the road is rough and long,

These simple joys can keep you strong.

For gratitude, through joy and strife,

Keeps you open to the gifts of life.