I haven’t done the month of being thankful as I have seen some of my friends doing on Facebook this year. I appreciate their daily wisdom yet somehow this year my feelings of thanksgiving run a little too deep to join them on Facebook this year. It’s just a bit too emotional for me this year so I thought that I would write it on this page instead this time. It’s been quite a year with struggles and trials and I've come to more fully understand and appreciate many things that have happened to me in my life thus far, so here is what I am thankful for.
I am thankful for the pains and the struggles of my arthritis. It has taught me to savor the moments of feeling normal. It has taught me to ask for help and allow others to help me. It has taught me patience. It has taught me compassion and understanding for others with pain and disability. It has taught me to more fully appreciate the physical abilities that I do have.
I am thankful for the periods of financial difficulties. It has taught me to be a better steward of the things I have. It has taught me to notice the beauty around me that is free to all. It has taught me to be a more grateful giver. It has taught me to be more humble. It has shown that I could work harder when I thought I couldn’t. It has taught me to rely more on the Lord’s help and guidance. It has brought me closer to my family as I relied on them for help.
I am thankful for my broken marriage. It gave me 4 beautiful children. It taught me a greater understanding of my own strength. It taught me that the Lord is in charge of my life and allowed me to see that he had a greater plan in store for my life. It taught me how to be a better wife and mother. It taught me that what others thought of me didn’t matter. It didn’t change who I knew myself to be. It taught me how to forgive.
I’m thankful for my brush with cancer. It taught me that the Lord is there whispering in my ear things that I need to hear if I am willing to listen. It showed me the compassion of sweet friends and how much I am loved. It taught me that the Lords timing is perfect because He has the big picture of my life. It taught me to slow down and be still sometimes.
I am thankful for hard and difficult trials, for times when I am pushed seemingly passed my limits to bear because it teaches me to call upon the Lord for help and guidance. It teaches me that when I reach the end of my strength, He is there to help me make it through. It teaches me that I’m not alone and that there are angels around us both in this world and passed on to the other side.
