Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it

– William Arthur Ward

Last night I was awake in the early morning. The dog barking to go outside. Work dreams. Too hot. Too cold. Meanwhile our baby sleeps, snoring softly in his little sleeping bag a few rooms away.

The gumption to raise yourself out of bed in those early hours is incredibly hard to conjure. But as I waited for Chester to stop sniffing the outside air (seriously, that dog!) I couldn’t help but smile. I remembered a night, not too long ago, where I woke up to feed Judah and my sweet husband, effectively asleep, mumbled, “Thank you for all you do for us”.

The man was barely conscious, and that’s what made it such an unexpected and special gift to me. All walls down, all defenses were at rest and at the forefront of his heart was a desire to express his gratitude.

Months later, Zac’s ‘thank you’ is a gift that keeps giving me joy, hope and strength. Especially as I wait for my imbecile dog to come back inside and let me go back to sleep for goodness sake.