I’ve not blogged in a while, in part because I’ve been weighed down lately by a personal health issue that, thankfully, has turned out to be nothing of concern. However, during the nine long days between the biopsy and receiving the results, which were interminable to me, my brain conjured up quite a parade of horribles that caused me some loss of sleep and quite a bit of consternation.

Yesterday, I received the good news that the abnormal growth on my right ear was not malignant. Whew! All that worry for naught. Now what?

I must confess that I’ve not written a gratitude list in quite a while, even though I know well how therapeutic writing a list of things for which we are grateful can be because I’ve written many over the years to get through some rough patches. Given my good news, I thought that I’d share a partial list of that for which I am grateful.

I begin with a couple of quotes about gratitude:

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that thankfulness is indeed a virtue. William John Bennett.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others. Cicero

He is a man of sense who does not grieve for what he has not, but rejoices in what he has. Epictetus

You can’t be hateful if you’re grateful. Shorty

I’m grateful for:

Being alive today, during the greatest period in which to live.

My good health.

Living in the greatest country in the world, one where I am free to pursue my passions.

My faith in God, which, though occasionally tested, always carries me through.

My loving parents, Paul and Marilyn, who gave me a great life.

My brothers, Doug and Keith, who I love dearly, even though I don’t see them very often.

My loving wife, Carol, who came into my life at a low ebb and who patiently and gently loved me back to life.

My wonderful sons, Paul and Evan, who have made me a very proud papa.

My ex-wife, Lynn, for giving me two wonderful sons and for keeping me humble.

My wonderful job, and the people with whom I work.

All of my friends, of which God has blessed me with many.

My abilities and talents, of which God blessed me with many.

A warm and wonderful home in which we live.

Plenty of food to eat, in which I regularly overindulge (and it shows).

The wonderful game of baseball.

Hot running water.

Amazing technology, which permits me to do so many things, including writing this blog.

Our amazing cat, Callie-Cat, who I love dearly.

My family on both sides, including my aunts and cousins.

My in-laws, who accepted me into their family.

My love of music and my music collection.

My love of books, and my personal library.

I could go on and on, but, hopefully, you get the point. And, more importantly, that I understand that I’ve been extremely blessed. I truly am fortunate to have what I have, and I’m grateful for it. I really do try to focus on what I’ve got and not on what I don’t have.

It is therapeutic to go through a gratitude list exercise, and, if you’ve never done one, or it’s been a while since you have, you really should consider taking this path because it truly makes you feel good.

I choose to live in gratitude. It’s truly a great place to live.