TIM MADIGAN: Anything Mentionable — Gratitude: From Aspens To Zen

The gratitude list is hardly a new concept, but several friends have taken it to another level, attempting to find reasons to be grateful for every letter of the alphabet. I decided to try it myself.

It certainly wasn’t easy. I mean, am I really grateful for X-rays and xylophones? And I wouldn’t allow myself to use the names of family and friends. Felt like cheating.

But the exercise was so worthwhile, comforting, eye opening.

Here’s what I came up with.

Aspens (sound in the wind, color in the fall) … Apples (red, crisp) … Anything mentionable is manageable.
Beatitudes (The) … Birds … Burgers.
Classic rock … (the) Color of sunrise and sunset … Coaching.
Dan Fogelberg … Drives in the country with my wife … Disco music (1970s style).
Eckhart Tolle … Exhaustion after a long hike … Eagles (band and bird).
Football (college, TCU) … Fatherhood … Full moons.
Guitars … Grills … Grizzlies.
Hockey … Hope … High schoolkids.
I’m proud of you … Ice cream … Italy.
John le Carre

John le Carre (favorite author) … Jesus wept (favorite scripture verse) … Jesus (especially with children, lepers, tax collectors and prostitutes.)
Kate Atkinson (second favorite author) … Kindness (random acts of) … Kindred (spirits).
Loved Starved Dogs (my classic rock cover band) … Laughter … (a) Loving mystery at the heart of the universe that yearns to be expressed —Fred Rogers definition of God.
Memories (particular of the evening my wife and I spent in Genoa at the home of Onur Teke and his wonderful family) … Mountains … Marriage.
Naps … Nuns (who live in the Zen monastery we discovered) … Nurses.
Guitars, Loved Starved Dogs.
Oceans … Overtime in hockey games … Omelettes.
Pudding … Patience … Paintings.
Rain … Resilience … Reading.
Smiles … Silence … Stories.
Thunder … Tears … Tacos.
Understanding … Umbrellas … Unbowed (my head is blood, but).
Venice … Vancouver … Volunteers (especially for CASA of Tarrant County).
Waterfalls … Walks (especially my daily 5-mile trek through Trinity Park) … Writing (or at least having written.
X-rays … Xylophones … Xoxo (OK, I’m stumped by the x).
Yellow … Yes …Y owza (not technically a word, but still).
Zen … Zoos … Zebras.