WHY I GIVE THANKS: Grateful for those special moments of clarity

By: 
Jennifer Laude Bisterfeldt

Every once in a while, you’ll have one of those moments of clarity — when you see the world from a different perspective. Suddenly, the colors are a little brighter, and your happiness catches you off guard. I had one of those moments today. A split-second of pause when you think to yourself, “Everything is OK.”

These moments can be few and far between, especially in the rush of daily life. We go to work, engage mindlessly in the monotony of daily exercise and regimen, run kids to swim practice or piano lessons. Before you know it, the day is over and there has been no time for reflection. Then, suddenly, it hits you … through all the chaos and routine, for a moment, all is well with the world. You say to yourself, “Today was OK! I’m happy, healthy, have people to love and they love me. Overall, life is good.” Those few seconds of pause are special. It’s the final reflection on the constant of life. A true gift from some higher level of consciousness. I love those moments.

Often, these realizations come after a period of challenges. To have and to be thankful for contentment arises out of difficult times. I think I am always very conscious of this as my work in nonprofits (currently with Safe Haven and previously with SAM25) reminds me daily that life isn’t always so easy. Devoting my days to organizations with missions that are centered around helping people during some of the darkest periods of their lives really provides you with a large dose of reality. This awareness is further deepened when the holiday season approaches. We try to lighten the holidays and provide all of the comforts possible, but it can still be a very lonesome time of year — especially for anyone living in shelter.

While the holidays tend to be a bit melancholy when you do this work, it all makes me incredibly grateful for the simple things in life … the most essential things. Basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter; a warm, safe place where you can find refuge. I pray each night before I close my eyes, and the first thing I reflect upon is my gratefulness for a bed, a roof over my head and the comfort it all brings. I’m truly grateful for the most basic pieces of my well-being because I’m all too aware that many people go without them. We should all take stock in the many things we have to be grateful for, as all of this will end one day. Nothing is forever, and good times will surely be replaced by hard times. However, if we hold on long enough, we can eventually have those “Everything is OK” moments again. We persevere through sadness, grief and life’s challenges to come out on the other side with a thankfulness for simply being alive. That is a gift!

For this holiday, for this month, this year and all the rest of my days, I will never take the comfort of a warm bed, a full stomach and the refuge of a home for granted. I treasure the safety and security of my family and a home to raise them in. It is a beautiful thing to have those moments of clarity. I’m especially thankful to understand that my experience is unique and that not everyone has these comforts. I pray for all who are suffering that they have those moments of peace, too. It is in our darkest days that we see the basic routine of life as the greatest gift. It means everything is OK.


Jennifer Laude Bisterfeldt is executive director of Safe Haven, which provides domestic abuse shelter services from its base in Shawano.

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