Page 81 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2024 - Online Magazine

HONORING SENIORS
THE LISTING
by Jill Rinehart, LPC-A (Bereavement Counselor with Hope from Ashes Counseling)
Supervised by Shelly Thompson, LPC, Med, LPC-S, CFRC
keep a blessings journal. For the past
seven years, each morning, before
Idiving into the to-dos for the day,
I reflect on the events of the previous
day and write down what I am thankful
for: the moments that made me smile,
the interactions that lifted my spirit,
and sometimes, just one little thing in
an otherwise horrible day. I then take a
moment to look back on past entries for
that day: reminders that whatever the
day might hold, there has always been
something to be thankful for on that
same day in years past.
I didn’t begin this practice because my
life was perfect, and I wanted to record
all the amazing things happening. While
some days were indeed amazing, more
often, the days were filled with the
mundane. Of course, there were dark
days, ones I wish I could forget.
My journaling has been inspired by Ann
Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts.
Having experienced trauma as a child
and great loss as an adult, Voskamp
wrestled with how to really live after
great loss. She found the answer in
radical gratitude. Out of obedience,
Voskamp began a list of gifts, gifts she
already had—things like, “Morning
shadows across the old floors; jam
piled high on toast.” And in the listing,
Voskamp realized that “God is in the
details; God is in the moment. God
is in all that blurs by in a life— even
hurts.” Naming the moments as gifts, as
blessings from Him (or whatever higher
power you embrace) transforms the day Inspiration
from one that is “bad” to one that is
touched by Love, by Joy.
So like Voskamp, out of obedience, I
began my list: “A husband that warms
up my side of the bed; chop and chat;
cuddling with my kids.” Some days,
finding the blessing was harder than
others, but I found that a butterfly
floating by or an amazing sunrise
seemed like smiles from God when I was
struggling to put one foot in front of the
other. And slowly, what began as an act
of obedience became a delight, moments
that I look forward to each day.
This year, my practice of finding the
good in each day has been challenged.
In February, after a short, intense battle
with cancer, my mom passed away.
Whether out of habit or desperation to
find some light, through the dark days
in the hospital and the emptiness of
her death, each morning I returned to
my journal: “Granola bar communion;
holding hands; Jesus’ arms.” With each
entry comes a smile and tears. Grief
puts a different lens on looking back
at previous entries, a blend of joy and
heartache.
There are moments that I will never be
thankful for, hard “whys” that can never
be answered. But the practice of listing
shows me that even the darkest days
have moments of beauty—beauty that I
am allowed to appreciate, to be embraced
by, and to embrace through tears.
Lubbock Senior Link 81