The teacher and the student

Two very different types of classes have been a surprising blessing to me in 2024.

This is about gratitude. But before I get to the gratitude, I have to explain what I’m grateful for.

The past couple of years were discouraging to me in some ways. I turned 60 in 2022, and in 2022 I and others in my family watched a beloved family member fall deeper and deeper into Alzheimer’s Disease. We struggled to make sure that he was properly cared for. The knowledge that there are sometimes genetic components to dementia made me worry about my own future.

I worry about my finances.

I feel more alone now than I’ve ever felt. Now, if I have to go to a medical procedure that involves sedation — say, a colonoscopy, or the two kidney stone procedures I’ve had in the past three months — I have to try to find someone willing to drive me and wait to bring me home. Don’t get me wrong — there are plenty of people willing to do this, in my church, and in my family. Each time I’ve asked for help, I’ve gotten it. But it still makes me feel alone, and kind of like a failure.

But I’ve received two gifts lately. Both started from seeds planted in 2023, but both have come to fruition in 2024.