Shortly after seeing The Secret movie, I was at a wedding for a friend and they had gratitude rocks on the table as a gift. Now I knew from watching the movie what these were used for, so I began a process of feeling grateful every day for the smallest things in life. Then one day our 6 month old grandson Bradley had contracted spinal bacterial meningitis. Now, I was told this is very deadly, and that 4 things could come out of this: Death, mental retardation, seizures, or hearing loss.

When he was rushed by helicopter to Omaha children’s hospital, my daughter and I had no idea of what to expect. With a disbelief that this could ever happen I looked for something to get me through the feelings any parent or grandmother has when a small child is up against its life. I prayed. I went to the chapel. I took walks. I needed something – I didn’t know what . I looked in my purse for something and I found my gratitude rock, from the wedding and it said ‘gratitude’ on the rock. I began every day to hold this rock and feel grateful for the smallest things: cell phone was working to call family, car was dependable to drive, it wasn’t snowing, enough money in pocket to eat, job was understanding of Bradley in the hospital, and that Bradley was alive one more day.

Friends back home 76 miles away were doing the same for him and myself and my daughter, putting positive energy out there all over, people were feeling the gratitude, and for the week Bradley was in the hospital and fighting for his life, I began to hold the rock and feel grateful for more and more. It doesn’t say ‘gratitude’ on the rock any more I rubbed it off and it has and became apart of my life in the morning and night. I even gave one to my daughter months before Bradley had gotten sick and found it was in his diaper bag. I was grateful for that too.

This story is 2 years old and so is Bradley. He has lost all his hearing, but doesn’t have seizures and is a normal happy smart and beautiful little boy. I know if I hadn’t felt grateful and that everyone around wasn’t, I wouldn’t be writing this. And now when I look at a rock or pebble I remember that being grateful is doing, and doing it everyday.

Life is too short not to take a look and just pick it up….