"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." Gilbert K. Chesterton
Ten months after Mia’s stroke (January 9, 2017), she wanted to go to the theater to see the movie Wonder, so we caught a Saturday afternoon matinee. Wonder is a heartwarming story of a ten-year-old boy named Auggie, born with a disease called Treacher Collins Syndrome, (a disease that caused facial differences), and the overwhelming challenges he faced when he attended a mainstream elementary school for the first time.
After leaving the theater, we went out to dinner and talked about the movie. Mia first thanked me for taking her to see Wonder and then went on to explain why she wanted to see it.
She shared that she understood Auggie and how kids stared at him on his first day of school because of his facial differences. It reminded her of the way people looked at her when she wore her helmet to protect her head after her craniectomy.
Even though she was no longer wearing the helmet, she still caught people gazing at her, perhaps because she uses a cane, drags her right foot, and her right arm and hand kind of dangle and swing back and forth when she walks.
“Mama,” she said, “People appear to feel sorry for me, and it’s like they don’t know what to say. I hate that, and sometimes I just want to shout “BOO” as loud as I can to see what they would do. I could see why Auggie wanted to keep his face covered in public; to be stared at was not a good feeling.”
She mentioned that Auggie didn't have many friends, nor did she. Even though several of them showed up when she was in the hospital, they had since moved on with their lives, and that made her sad.
She asked me what I liked about the movie. I told her that I related to Auggie’s mother and the sacrifices she made for her son. She was a writer who put everything on hold because of Auggie’s condition and got back to her writing after he adjusted to school. I told her that I would do the same.
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I went to bed that night with the movie on my mind, and the next day, during dinner, I shared with Mia a few more “wonders” that I had added to my gratitude list first thing that morning.
It was a “wonder” that instead of shopping for yarn on the day that Mia had the stroke, I came home and found her on the floor, where she had been for hours, fighting for her life.
It was a “wonder” that on her fourth day in the hospital, I noticed her was gradually losing consciousness. I alerted the nurse, who contacted the neurologist, and she ended up having an emergency craniectomy that saved her life.
It was a “wonder” that she survived two craniectomies and was learning to thrive, thanks to learning to journal!
It was a “wonder” that she had seen the movie advertised on TV and asked me to go and see it, and it was a “wonder” that she was able to explain what she liked about the movie.
Gratitude teaches us to be thankful for our internal and external sources of goodness. It is an infinite multiplier. Wonder is the sense of awe that invites us to see the world with fresh eyes. Together, they lift our spirits and deepen our connection to beauty, abundance, and awe of the universe. They remind us that the spirit of good works in mysterious ways for all of us, its a Wonder to behold!
When was the last time you felt a sense of Wonder? Has it been a while? No worries. Let your gratitude list point you in the right direction. The Wonder you seek is seeking you!
Do you need help getting started? Contact me at smallchange@myrtlerussell.com.
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