My reflection is from Living Faith:
Let me sing of the Lord, “He has been good to me.” Psalm 13:6
“Sometimes when I am on retreat, I write at the top of a paper, ‘25 ways God has been good to me this past year.’ Then I begin to list some of the ways: good health, a new friend, opportunities for Mass, ample food, orchids in the hallway where I live, time for prayer, the retreatants I’ve come to know, the frequent laughter in my life, regular challenges to my generosity and patience, the variety of birds at the bird feeders, old favorite songs and a few new ones, good books I’ve read, the persistent call to work for greater
justice, my love for learning, freedoms I often take for granted, living and working with hope filled individuals.
Perhaps that’s why this line above from Psalm 13 stood out for me today. The truth is, at the end of some of my letters, I often write these words: ‘God has been good to Melannie!’
How has God been good to you lately?” Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D.
Even if we haven’t gone on retreat this is a great exercise to do throughout the year. It helps each one of us to focus on the positive gifts in our lives. In another book that I have been reading it talks about the cup of suffering holding a hidden gift for us. I remember working with a sister when I first entered the Sisters of Mercy, she was blind and she told me that being blind was a gift. Wow! 
