“There is a calmness to 
a life lived in gratitude, 
a quiet joy.”
Ralph H. Blum

Driving around West San José earlier this evening, I reflected on some of the countless ways my life is blessed right now. I’m capable of driving my car. I have a car. Most of the drivers around me were considerate and followed the rules of the road. I have a home to return to and a garage in which to park my car. I’m alive!

I am blessed with a number of good family members, friends, and acquaintances. I’m not hungry. I’m in better physical condition now than I was twenty years ago. I have excellent health insurance and an outstanding medical team. My memory allows me to recall, with vivid detail, many people and experiences from fifty and even sixty years ago. (Just don’t ask me what I had for lunch today!)

I have five beautiful grandchildren who bring me more happiness than I ever thought possible. I live in the beautiful State of California. It’s only a 50-minute drive from my home to San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean. I can walk relatively long distances with ease. My vision allows me to see and appreciate the natural beauty of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. 

I have been blessed with the ability to express myself well in writing. I can thoroughly enjoy the successes achieved by those around me. My organizational skills enable me to keep track of documents I thought I would never need to access again. I am content with what I have and with who I am. I feel totally loved by a God I cannot fully comprehend.

I could name many more things for which I am grateful, and I could specifically identify a number of people for whom I am especially grateful. I choose not to do so here for fear that I would leave someone out who should be on that list. In no way do I believe that my life is better than anyone else’s. I have no need, nor desire to compare myself to anyone.

For most of my adult life, November has been my favorite month of the year. I am overjoyed walking or driving through my neighborhood and seeing the brilliant red, gold, and yellow leaves mixed in with a few stubborn green ones on the trees. I enjoy the comfortable days and cooler nights. As American author Lauren DeStefano wrote about this time of year, it’s “as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”

There is a lesson in this for all of us. American naturalist John Burroughs wrote, “How beautiful leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.” I can only hope that, when my time comes, the same thing can be said about my final days.