Make Room for Gratitude

I really enjoyed reading this article about using a method from praying St. Ignatius' examen to mentally walk back through your day and have gratitude for all of the gifts you receive. This stuck me right now in particular because we are at the point of "so close yet so far away" in terms of being in the same physical place (read: ZIP CODE!) to progress forward in out relationship. I easily get stuck on the negative of counting how many months, weeks, long distance phone calls remain in this whole ordeal. The fact of the matter is that these trials likely pale in comparison to many more we will face in life. I should strive more to let gratitude surface for all of the little graces. Gratitude in this way must become our habit. Life never "gets easier" so it is important that we always remember that God is at-work and that it is refreshing to our souls to make room each day for gratitude, particularly for things we never take time to think about.