Our little apartment in DC was wet with sweat and humidity last night, as a small group of 4 of us sat around candle light for our weekly Awakin Wednesday gathering. An intimate conversation about gratitude lead to a surprising revelation, where one girl spoke about her recent trip to New Mexico, where she entered into a 5 day intensive grief therapy program to deal with the loss of her entire family. In the past 10 years, her mother, father, and brother had passed away, leaving her young, alone, and grief stricken with no family for love or support. The succession of loss in her life forced her to re-consider what was important, and although she is still struggling from this loss, she spoke mostly about her appreciation for what is true in her life. "I was playing soccer the other day, down by the Washington Monument, and everything was so beautiful. The air, the sun, the grass was so green, I thought to myself, I live in paradise! This is paradise! I am so lucky, I am so grateful for everything I have. My family would have wanted me to feel grateful all the time". Her vulnerability, her intentional practice of gratitude, and beautiful recognition of acceptance of struggle was truly profound. The capacity for human resilience is truly astounding. Feeling so grateful for small circles.