I had a rough night in ICU with pain after surgery and a bad reaction to some stong meds. But throughout the night, Oish my nurse provided with me excellent, calm, patient, assuring care. It made such a difference. I’m mindful again today of the amazing work of health professionals and carers across the nation. Let’s never take their work for granted!

And as I did a slow lap of the ICU this morning with a physio, I was reminded that so many others face much bigger challenges than I do. A hospital visit always brings perspective.

I read this week of these “4A’s of gratitude”:

Attention – intentionally coming to attention on a regular basis, orienting our lives around the ways of Jesus – who saw the goodness and grace of God in the world, his life and all people around him.

Awareness – making sure we intentionally open our eyes, ears, hearts and minds on a daily basis to see and appreciate the blessings around us.

Acknowledgement – Recognising and intentionally affirming others who make a difference in our lives and local communities.

Action – intentionally turning our gratitude into action, and modelling the priority of gratitude to others.

And as we embrace a lifestyle of gratitude, experts tells us that it’s good for our physical, mental, emotional and relational health. Wins all around! And as highlighted in the 4As above – intentionality is central to practising gratitude on a daily basis.

I’ve got so much to be grateful for today – including Oish, the right person in the right place overnight here at Epworth.

https://substack.com/@scottpilgrim67