Emilyn Gipson: Gratitudes come in many ways, means

The character word for the month in the Opelika schools is “gratitude.” To whom do you owe a debt of gratitude? Who are the people that have positively impacted your thinking and helped you to become a better person?
Reading a quote from Albert Schweitzer brought to mind some of the people who have touched my life and made me a better person. Schweitzer said “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted a flame within us.”

I’ll never be an Albert Schweitzer, but my life tapestry is richly interwoven with colors placed there by people who have helped shape who I am. The first persons to whom I owe my deepest gratitude are my grandparents who lit the spark of spirituality within me. It was from them I learned that faith the size of a mustard seed can be multiplied an infinite number of times and that my tiny light, when combined with the lights of others can be a source of hope in a hurting world.

Another who fed the spark was my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Bessie Franks, who encouraged me with her words, giving me the courage to try and try again. If heaven has a window, she is smiling broadly as she reads this. I wonder how many seeds she planted within her students and which ones took root and are now producing their own good seeds?

My thoughts are directed to a group of women, members of the “Opti-Mrs. Club,” who selflessly gave of their time and resources to make a difference in the lives of children who had few opportunities to experience the world outside their rural community. Because of these special people, I have fond memories from two summers as a camper at Camp Grandview.

These women, alongside their husbands, the Optimists, built a clubhouse and equipped it with recreational equipment that made for many happy hours of fun time with friends. This has led me to being deeply involved in my community, and especially in efforts involving children. I am grateful to my mentors who both encouraged and challenged me. I am grateful to those who have been a mirror for me, showing me parts of myself that I had rather not see and for the growth that came with the pain of looking, for teaching me to accept what is, yet to look for meaning in what can be. 

Every day my path crosses with people that will change me in some way or another, because, perhaps, I am able to look at a situation through different eyes or because I am able to stand on the shoulders of one who has more strength and courage that I could ever muster in a lifetime. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity of being a spouse, a parent and a grandparent.

How could one ask for anything higher than to love and be loved? The little I can give back is little return on all that has been received, but while I am here, I will do my best to be a sower of good seeds, just like so many who have before me.

Emilyn Gipson is a licensed marriage and family therapist and president of the Alabama Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.