Over eight years ago, I started begging Denise Franklin, then WFDD Station Manager, for a blog. Before that, I had already contributed media commentary on a regular basis to the station for over five years on a couple of different programs.

It took awhile for me to convince her, but after she said yes, Denise regularly contacted me with ideas for posts. She was always full of ideas.

One of the projects that has diverted my attention from the blog in recent months is what I loosely term The Gratitude Project. I’ve asked people to contribute short stories – 300-400 words in length – about gratitude.

Denise was the first person to send me a story, and it is a beautiful sharing of her experience. Here is her story.

Implausible Gratitude

It may seem implausible to place gratitude and amputation in the same sentence or even the same thought.  And indeed the two may not actually occur simultaneously, but one can experience both.  I should know.  They both happened to me.

One night I found myself in the hospital, told that I had an infection down to the bone; gangrene had set in, and doctors had taken my foot.  Later they would have to take more of my limb.  I would end up with no leg below my right calf.

My first reaction was disbelief, followed by gratitude that I was alive.  However, the gratitude for life would eventually morph into the realization that the amputation had forced me to slow down, contemplate life, sit with and listen to God. 

I have always been strong, but I learned the lessons of vulnerability and humility, the core of which lies in the plan of God for me.

I always had a sense of the genuine nature of people, but my discernment sharpened about those who came in and out of my life.  I pray that I hold on to all the lessons I have learned from surviving amputation and abandoning the frenetic pace of the world for the still moments with God.

My faith had always been unwavering, but the uninterrupted moments with God allowed me to see in real time how the world would continue to rotate on its axis whether or not I was present.  At the same time, I realized we all have the capacity to make our mark on the universe, and we should do it while we have the chance.  My sense of discernment about my dreams grew by leaps and bounds. 

In losing part of my body, I gained more of my soul. I am truly grateful.

The Gratitude Project is on its way to becoming a book called Sharing Gratitude: Daily Reflections, and I will soon publish “January” online as I continue to seek more stories to take me to the magic number of 366 (that’s how many it will take to include an entry for each day, including February 29 on those special Leap Years).

I have over 200 stories so far, and I’ll keep working on this until the book is complete. When I publish the first month as a sample, Denise’s story will appear as the reflection for the first day of January. This seems a fitting way for me to remember my friend, who died last month, and I hope her message will be a powerful one for you, too.

Interested in contributing? Each entry should fit into the word limit and tell a story – big or small, personal or observed – that speaks to the concept of gratitude.

Inquiries and submissions should come to me, dalton@wfu.edu.

I’ll provide a publication update when the book goes to press.