When all you've got is time to think.

"The trouble is, you think you've got time..." 

~Unknown

This quote was once attributed to Buddha but later discovered not to be one of his. It's a good one, though, and a thought that I've found myself going back to often. Especially since the death of my 27-year-old son eight years ago this April. When you are hit with the only imagined, and it's not imagined, but real, you become paralyzed. Then you begin to move again, slowly, and you come to an allegorical fork in your road.

And it takes a little bit of time to decide which way to go.

Despondent and depressed is an option. Not a soul will blame you. Well, a few who have been long looking for reasons to disparage a person will show false pity, but most will just nod and walk away. It's certainly acceptable in these kinds of times. You can live in sympathy until you live no more.

But your mind keeps thinking, because, in the numbness, it's all you've got.

And in your thoughts, you begin to consider that perhaps you might just live a long time. And in that long time, you can do something to bring good from a dark moment. The end of a life cut too short, as it always is too short, can be extended to your life. 

So you become grateful for each day.

Every day you wake up, every minute you breathe is another opportunity to repair or restore. It's okay to wait at the fork or even take the desolation path for a bit. But come back to the path that seeks a life filled with gratitude. Gratitude brings hope. Hope sparks possibility. Possibility continues life, and the opportunity to learn from all you've experienced. 

Live with an attitude of gratitude today.

Cheers.