My mother-in-law was the most positive person I have ever known. She had a delightful ability to find the silver lining and infuse gratitude into any situation.
If we went out to dinner, even a mediocre restaurant with lackluster food, she would rave over the evening - the efficiency of the wait staff - the delicious flavors on her plate. "Ooooh, that pasta was the best I have ever eaten," she would remark.
After a doctor's appointment, her report would focus less on the diagnosis or her pain and more on the kindness and wisdom provided by her wonderful nurses and doctors.
If she had to stand in a long line at a store, that only gave her more time to make a new friend, and she would regale us with stories about the person she met today at the grocery.
Once, out of the blue, she looked at my husband and said (in her sweet Southern accent), "Don't you just love pockets! They are so useful!" With all the pleasure and awe one might use when describing new features on a smartphone or a fancy car, she was grateful for this universal accessory found in all jeans, jackets, and handbags. While battling cancer, she found the energy to remark about the blessing of pockets, something so insignificant it never occurred to me to consider with gratitude or even consider them at all!
Her comment has become shorthand in our family to remember to seek out those silver linings. Even during difficult times, it can be comforting to realize simple blessings surround us, and expressing gratitude can instantly lighten the weight on one’s heart. When I have a day where nothing is going my way and the world seems out to get me, my husband will look at me with a grin and say, in a sweet Southern accent, “But don’t you just love pockets!” Oh yes, God is perfect.
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