When Gratitude comes to dinner
She wears a purple feather in her hair
Reminding her to be appreciative.
She doesn’t want to take life for granted,
But she knows she does some times.

She watches for the tiny little ways she closes her heart.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily tasks of living.
It’s so easy to believe that a stranger intrudes upon her time.

Gratitude remembers when Darkness surrounded her
For a very, very long time,
Month after month.

Encompassed like a gray shroud, thick gauzy tentacles
wrapped around her like a mummy,
bound tight with no light.

And then one cool Spring day
Kindness touched her.
As she walked across a lonely parking lot,
a small item slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.
A stranger walking toward her smiled and offered,
“Oh, let me get that for you.”
He stooped, picked it up,
and placed it in her hand,
and then walked on without another word.

The dark shroud lifted as her eyes opened wide in surprise.

His kindness warmed her sad heart, grown cold from the loneliness of her Winter.

For when Darkness imprisons us for a long, long time
It is then that we become truly grateful
for the little gestures of love
that we would have otherwise taken for granted.

About the Author

Benita A. Esposito is a spiritual counselor, life coach, LPC, and ordained minister. Her bestsellinjg book, The Gifted Highly Sensitive Introvert, can be found on Amazon.  She quickly spots psychological patterns to reach the bottom line so you don’t waste precious time. She follows a grace-filled Christian path that honors all faiths. For fun, she grows beautiful flower gardens. She loves to hike through forests to waterfalls. Her inner shutterbug shot most of the photos on this website.

Benita Esposito’s credentials

Photo credits:

Photo of Benita Esposito by K. Boyer Photography

Photo of pumpkins at Atlanta Botanical Garden by Benita A Esposito

This poem was originally posted at https://flourishing-lives.com/when-gratitude-comes-to-dinner/

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