This was my first affirmation, even though at the time I didn’t know it. Because it made such a HUGE impact on me, I want to share the story behind this one.

I was laying in a hospital bed, and had lost track of how many times I’d been in the ER in the past few weeks. In total, I had spent the better(?) part of two months in hospital beds. My left leg was badly infected, and it did not seem to be getting any better. It was, in fact, worsening. Not having much to do but lay there, I began to think.

“Hm… Y’know, I have every right to be miserable right now. I could sink into a massive depression, and not a soul would blame me.”

I paused for a long moment, floating on the morphine I’d just been given.

“No. There has got to be something to be grateful for in this mess. I just gotta find it.”

I floated a moment more, enjoying the way the bed seemed to rock beneath me.

“Hm.” I thought. “I am grateful for morphine.” And I smiled.

Looking back, I can see that in that moment, I probably saved my life. I certainly saved my leg from being amputated. Because from that point, I constantly sought the good things.

Sometimes those good things were small; I was grateful when fresh cookies were on my meal tray, or that I felt good enough to read for an hour or so. Even the small ones were something to be grateful for.

Now I am grateful every day to have two legs and ten toes… and that is one HUGE grateful!!!