On January 29, 2006, Bob Woodruff should have died. As the newly appointed co-anchor for ABC
world news tonight, Bill was left in critical condition -and not expected to
survive- when a roadside bomb exploded in Iraq as he was reporting back to
America.
On Friday June 13, 2014, I sat in Westminster Hall to celebrate
the commencement ceremony of my host brother graduating high school, listening
to Lee Woodruff tell the story of their family and her husband’s miraculous
recovery. As the chosen commencement speaker,
her words of injury, recovery, strength, and family revolved around one main
theme: Gratitude.
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I listened to her speak of the rock that rolled across her
husband’s neck and landed on his carotid artery. I heard her speak of how the army doctors that
saved her husband’s life were actually ordered to take safety away from the
bombsite, but only stayed by Bob’s side.
I paid attention as she spoke of the way Bob’s skull was removed to
allow his brain to swell, and the way she stayed by his side as he lay in a
coma for a month.
Bob wasn’t supposed to live, but he and his family survived
with the gratitude that can only be explained with a thank you that is too big
to find words for. Lee talked about the
major events that filled her life with gratitude, but she also focused on the
little, small events that stich our days together in blessings of
happiness. “When I was grateful for all
the little things in my life, I became a better wife, mother, friend, and
daughter.”
As she made her closing remarks and the ceremony continued
on, I felt I’d come full circle this year in lessons of gratitude. It feels like just yesterday (while
simultaneously years ago) that I was sitting in my new room in London in
September, reading a book on gratitude while buckets collected dripping water
from my ceiling. It was a time of
extreme vulnerability, but it was also a time of deep reflection. I looked for the daily blessings. I kept a list of the small stuff I was
grateful for. I was deeply challenged by
the daily living and consumed by the Holy Spirit.
It has been a long time since I’ve written anything on this
blog. A long time since I’ve sat down at
my computer and allowed time to form words of reflection on my daily life
here. It could be because I’ve found my
new normal; I finally am understanding how to live in the culture of London and
don’t need to think or plan as intently as I did in the beginning. It could be because I only have one month left
(yes, that’s right – one month!!!) and I am super busy trying to experience as much
as possible. Really, I think when
everything is “going right” it’s too easy to forget to reflect on those small
miracles that form our lives. I stop
noticing the way God is in the boiling water dancing on the stovetop, or the way
a small child’s fingers grip a pencil as they write
.
But life is good and so is God. And I am grateful that I was sitting in
Westminster Hall on the 13th of June, celebrating my host brother’s
graduation and listening to Lee Woodruff’s words on noticing the everyday
blessings. I may only have 5 weeks left
in London, but that’s five more weeks to notice how God is alive. If it’s one thing I’ve learned this year –
it’s to notice the small and give thanks for it all.
