Gratitude brings Hope

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

It’s been a while since my last post. October was a busy month, wrapping up tax season during the first half, and traveling to Argentina during the second half. On Sunday, I took an early morning walk at the beach, and realized that the first half of November is gone. Time is flying, and in the blink of an eye, this year is almost over.

My theme for this year has been hope, and to be totally honest, it has not been easy for me to keep myself hopeful all of the time. As I was walking at the beach, I decided that instead of my usual morning rosary, I was going to concentrate on gratitude. I would not ask God for a single thing, I would just list all the things that I was grateful for. In the two or so miles that I walked, I came up with 36 prayers of gratitude, and I realized how blessed I am. I am thankful for each of these persons or things, in no particular order. This is just how they happened to pop into my mind:

1. Benedict: I am so grateful for this little boy that has come to rock our world. He has made all our lives infinitely better in this past year. His smile is worth more than a million bucks. I have been in New York all week babysitting him, and I have enjoyed every second. I love him more than he will ever know, and I am on my knees in gratitude for the gift of Benedict.
2. Rafi: Thirty-five years ago, I was undergoing infertility treatments. When I decided to stop and adopt, I became pregnant with a little boy. I am so thankful for the journey that I am experiencing daily with my oldest son. There has never been a dull moment in my life since the day he was born, and I would not change a single moment.
3. Emily: I prayed for a good wife for my oldest, and God surpassed all my wishes. Emily is a loving wife, an outstanding mother, a wonderful bonus daughter, hard worker, organized, and she keeps Rafi on his toes. Thank you God for sending her to him. She has been Rafi’s rock and his foundation. And together, they brought us Benedict, our greatest joy.
4. Chabeli: After trying so hard to become pregnant with Rafi, I was beyond grateful to find out that I had become pregnant again when Rafi was just three months. My girl came to balance our family. She is my best friend. We talk every day. We can tell each other anything, and I am forever thankful for having her in my life.
5. Daniel: When my daughter introduced me to the guy who worked at a bar, I told her: “Date him, but don’t fall in love.” She didn’t listen, but once I got to know Daniel, I knew that he Is exactly the partner that my daughter needs. He is passionate about everything he does, and he loves my daughter and makes her happy. What more can I ask for?
6. Alex: Even though I always wanted four kids, I thought we were done with a boy and a girl. But God had other plans, and He sent me Alex, my Christmas baby. I was blessed to become unemployed so I got to cherish every minute with him. Thank You Lord for sending us our baby #3 who came to lighten up our lives.
7. Keely: When I met Keely, I knew right away she was the one for my Alex. They began with a long distance relationship, she then moved to Miami three months before the pandemic which I know was not easy for her, but their relationship was strengthened through it all. Now they live in Charlotte, and we couldn’t be more thankful for our Keely.
8. My hubby: We met 42 years ago, married 4 years later, have experienced hard times and good times, illness and health, sorrow and joy, anger and happiness… there were many times when one of us was ready to call it quits, but I am so thankful that we never gave up. I will be forever grateful for my hubby, my partner in all things good and bad. I love him more than life.
9. My mom: She had me when she was just 20 years old. She left Cuba at the young age of 27, not knowing if she would ever see her parents again. But she did it to give me a better life where I could grow, worship and become a woman in a free country. She made so many sacrifices, and I am forever grateful that God chose her to be my mom.
10. My dad and brothers: I was 7-years-old when I left Cuba, my dad, and my brothers who were 21 and 4 months-old at the time. Twenty-five years would pass before I saw them again. I am so grateful that God gave me the opportunity to have them in my life again. Not only do I have them, but also their spouses and four nieces and nephews that all live in Miami.
11. My hubby’s very large family: His three sisters, Cuqui, Maricela and Monica, who have become my sisters. All his aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews. I always wanted to have a large family. I was blessed to get a really large one when I married into the Romero-Valdez Prieto family. I am grateful and thankful for each one of its members who welcomed me with open arms into their tribe. 
12. Teen Action and the Trujillo family: I was a teenager when I joined the St. Dominic Youth Group led by Mr. Jesus Trujillo RIP. It marked my life in ways that I’m just starting to realize. The foundation of my faith began in Spain, but this youth group solidified it. The Trujillo Family was a model to follow as I got married and began my own family. I am thankful for all they taught me.
13. Encuentros Juveniles: These retreats helped me to stay out of trouble during my teenage years. They provided friendships that to this day are still a part of my life. I got to know Jesus as a friend and a brother. And I met my hubby because he was part of this movement. I am grateful for the deep seeds that it planted in my life.
14. Camino del Matrimonio: During the first year of our marriage, we got involved with this group that prepares young couples for the sacrament of matrimony. We, however, received more help than we gave out. We learned a lot from couples that had been walking the marriage journey for longer than us, and it gave us the foundation we needed for a strong marriage.
15. My Belen Emmaus sisters: It’s been almost twenty years, and even though we are no longer doing the retreats at Belen, the community that began back then is still strong. We have a prayer support group where we pray for each other’s intentions. We get together, not as much as we would like to, but enough to keep in touch. I am grateful every day for my sistas in Christ.
16. The St. Louis bible group: I joined in 2009 when I was going through a very difficult time in my life. They lifted me up and brought me the support that I needed at that low point in my journey. I’m still a part of it, and I have learned so much from the gospels. It gave me another community, and brought me so much closer to God.
17. Tere and Dulce, my sisters from a different mother: We moved to Spain one year apart, and we became a family. We went to the same school, spent all our days, weekends, vacations and holidays together. When I left Spain, and they stayed, I thought my heart would break. But in spite of the ocean that separates us, we are still soul sisters.
18. Mamima: God placed her in my path to take care of my kids so I could go to work in peace, knowing that they were well taken care of. She became another grandmother to them. She loved them the way only a grandma can love. She took great care of them, fed them, bathe them, and taught them. They adored her and so did I. She was a blessing, and still is.
19. Sagrado Corazon and Trinity Christian School: My first choice of pre-schools for Rafi and Chabeli was a disaster. Sagrado Corazon closed just two months after they were enrolled. Trinity was the rebound school. It was not bad, but it was also not great. But these bad choices opened the doors to the next one, and what a great choice that turned out to be.
20. St. Theresa School: In the month of May, I decided that my kids would not be returning to Trinity the following school year. I knew a deacon that was very active at Church of the Little Flower. He went to the Carmelite Sisters, put in a good word, and my kids got accepted after registration had already been closed. STS will always hold a special place in my heart.
21. Granada Day School: I picked much better for Alex, and what an amazing day care God led me to. He spent two years here, PK2 and PK3, and what a difference it made in his life and mine. No wonder Trinity and Sagrado Corazon no longer exist, but Granada Day School is still around. This was the perfect little school, and every time I drive by it, I can’t help but smile. 
22. Our Lady of Lourdes Academy: My daughter had a tough time in middle school, but OLLA changed all that. She became a Peer Minister, she was able to grow spiritually, and she became more independent and assertive. She met at OLLA two of her best friends. It was the perfect school to help her transition from a girl to a young woman.
23. Belen Jesuit Prep School: I spent thirteen years at Belen, first with Rafi and then with Alex. I could not have asked for a better school to form my boys into men. Not only did they get an amazing education, but their hearts and consciences were formed. I am truly grateful to the Jesuits for their mission to form “men for others.”
24. Maria: We met because our two oldest became best friends in kindergarten. We’ve shared activities at STS and Belen. We have traveled together. We are Emmaus sistas. We are now studying Genesis together. And through it all, we have become best friends. We see each other more often than our kids do, and I am grateful that God placed her in my life.
25. The universities my kids attended: I feel that universities today deform instead of form They turned my conservative Catholic children into liberal and non-religious. However, I am still grateful for the education that they received. I pray that one day they realize that a spiritual community is just as important, and that the seeds that were planted will blossom.
26. Grupo Inmaculada: I attended Catholic school in Spain from 2nd to 5th grade. It was an all girls school, and I made friendships that would be part of my life forever. We have a WhatsApp group, and I’m still in touch with most of those classmates from back then, plus I have met new ones that joined the school after I left. I am so grateful for my Inmaculada friends.
27. Kinloch Park and Coral Gables Sr. High: These were the schools that I attended when I moved from Madrid to Miami. I learned to speak English at Kinloch. I made friends that filled the void left by Tere and Dulce. These schools provided me with a great education, and memories that I will always cherish.
28. Miami-Dade and FIU: I got my upper education at these two great institutions. In Miami-Dade, I discovered my love for Accounting. FIU gave me the degree. Every weekend that I spent in that library studying for those difficult exams was worth it. I would not have the career that I have today, if it had not received the education from these schools.
29. Jose A Luis MD: After high school, I wanted to study medicine and become a pediatrician. I am thankful to Dr. Luis for giving me a part-time job while I attended college. I soon realized that if I had to close my eyes when he vaccinated the babies, medicine was not for me. I felt much happier balancing the books than performing medical tasks.
30. Munditour and Saruski: My next two jobs gave me the necessary skills to work as an accountant. At Munditour, I learned bookkeeping. Saruski taught me to do income taxes, and to balance the books for various companies. It would come very handy when I opened my own accounting practice ten years later.
31. Coral Gables Federal: This job was literally sent to me by God. I was three months from graduation when they called me to see if I would be interested in becoming an Staff Accountant. I was working at Saruski, and was not even searching for another job. I interviewed, got the job, and spent nine years working there until the bank was sold.
32. My accounting practice: I began working from home with the goal that I had to have six clients by the end of the first six months. Twenty-eight years later, I just finished my busiest tax season with over 500 tax returns filed. I have an assortment of domestic and international clients, and I am truly grateful for the three ladies that help me meet all the deadlines.
33. Our first two homes: Our first home was witness to the first steps of our oldest two kids, their first words, and many celebrations. Seven years later we had the opportunity to get a bigger home. I was sad to leave behind the memories we had made, especially with our babies, but God send us Alex so we could make new memories in our second home, where we lived and loved for 25 years.
34. Our beach bungalow: We love the beach, and we always dreamed that one day we would own a place at the beach. When the opportunity presented itself in 2009, we tried but it didn’t work out. We waited five years, and in 2014, we made our dream come true. This place is like a little bit of heaven on earth. We love it, and are forever thankful to God that we get to enjoy a lot.
35. Our Gables apartment: When my hubby approached me with the idea to sell our home, I was not happy. Too many memories to live behind. But after three years of living in our new nest, I must say that he was right, and I should have listened sooner. An apartment requires such low maintenance that it has freed up so much of my time. And home is where your heart is.
36. Last but not least, my faith: I would not be the woman that I am today if I didn’t have the strong faith that I have. I would not have survived all the hardships that I have experienced in my 60-year journey. I am thankful to God for every single blessing that He has bestowed upon me, my family, my friends, and for every experience that He has allowed me to traverse, good and bad.

When I finished my walk, I realized that gratitude brings hope. Once I took this walk through memory lane, thanking God for every single person and thing that came into my mind as I walked, I felt hopeful. I left out a lot of things that I’m thankful for. Many more people that have touched me one way or another. Many places that I have visited that have made me realize what a wonderful world God has gifted us with. The Church communities that I have been a part of. But the main thing that this gratitude list gave me is to realize that no matter what we are going through, hope costs us nothing. There is always cause for hope, even when it all seems lost. Let’s be thankful for every little thing, and God will place hope in our hearts.

Copyright © 2022 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.