Even in the messy moments being a parent is a privilege.
I don’t always find the time to stop and be grateful in the midst of sickness bugs or sleepless nights but when I do I am so grateful that I get to be Mum to my boys. Now that I’ve finished maternity leave and started working again I have committed to trying to seek out, and say yes to, new opportunities.
So, working as a Funeral Pastor is something brand new for me in this season. We’ve always talked very openly with our toddler about death and explaining to him what Mummy is doing for work has opened up even more conversation.
I often find that when I am trying to explain things in a really simple way to my kid I also end up understanding them better. So, when I explained that my job is to help people say goodbye to people they loved I found an even deeper appreciation for my new role. I found myself feeling incredibly grateful for the opportunity.
And it’s true, I am finding myself thinking, ‘what a privilege’, over and over again in this new role.
What a privilege to be able to sit with people in their grief, to hear people’s personal family stories, to be trusted to lead a service to remember someone, to help a family to say goodbye to a loved one.
I’ll be honest when I started I simply thought, ‘it’s a role I can do, I’ve led services before and spoken to people in hard situations’. But, now it doesn’t feel like it’s a role I’m doing just because I can. I am so thankful for the opportunity to get to do something that is a ministry where I get to care for people and I know it is an incredible privilege to stand beside people in their grief.
I find that when I take a moment to be grateful I become aware of how many incredible things, big and small, I get the opportunity to do.
If you stop now and think, what do you feel grateful for today?
What do you get to do that feels like a privilege?
Perhaps it’s something that other people have said to you ‘I couldn’t do that’ and actually you feel grateful for the opportunity, or perhaps it’s the simple pleasure of snuggling your little ones close to you.
Whatever it is, I hope you find a moment today to stop and feel grateful because I know for me that every time I do my perspective shifts and my heart feels happy.
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