Gratitude & Hope

I keep thinking of the idea of prayer and gratitude. The way Kunitz said we should be "thankful" for the gift of life. In difficult times, it seems like we should have an abundance of prayer and an abundance of hope. But it seems at the time when you need hope the most, it walks off holding some one elses hand.

But by being thankful, should we be thankful for our own mistakes? Thankful for our own deep and tragic faults?

What threads do we grasp on to when the world unravels?

I agree that out of great struggle can come great art, but what about if it is "the self" that you are struggling against. That your own self is your unacceptable condition?

I want to say I love you world. I want to say it and mean it truly.