Marriage and Gratefulness in the Age of a Pandemic?

Gratefulness.

It’s a common go-to as a way to make difficult times more bearable.

The suggestion is to reflect on what you are grateful for—maybe even make a list. Such an exercise forces us to whittle down and sift and figure out amidst our discouragement and losses what exactly is showing up in the win column. It’s a worthy exercise, for sure—anytime, but more so when life is particularly challenging.

I’ve been thinking about the pandemic and all the people who have been doing marriage under bewildering and sometimes arduous circumstances.

I mean who among of us on a moment’s notice really wanted to pull math teacher out of our skillset? Or daycare provider while still working an entirely different job—you know, the job that you actually get paid for? Or resource manager as you try to figure out how to use a dwindling bank account to still put food in front of hungry mouths?

So many of you are navigating the above circumstances and countless others, and no doubt the strain on your marriage has begun to leave you a bit edgy with each other.

Has it been hard to find reasons to be grateful? Don’t feel ashamed if it has been. I’d rather you be real. I am quite fond of realness. I mean, it’s right up there with my love for Jesus, and I love that guy a lot. Here’s what I want to say about marriage and gratefulness in the age of a pandemic. Give yourself grace if you can come up with only one thing about your spouse for which you feel grateful right now. If you can come up with more than one thing, fabulous. But if you can’t? That’s okay. The one thing will do.

It may be a small thing. It may be a big thing. Even a little gratefulness for one thing can let you breathe in some hope.

There are so many unknowns with this pandemic and its impact that if you can be certain about even one thing—one thing about your spouse for which you are grateful—then it’s worth making note of that one thing. It might just be what gets you through being a math teacher, daycare provider and resource manager—you know, while you’re doing everything else you normally do as well.

Marriage and gratefulness in the age of a pandemic. When you think of your spouse, what are you grateful for?

For more reading, you can cruise through my list of past posts, as well as my page with a bunch of posts on orgasm.

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