<\/p>\n

With the holidays right around the corner, we start reflecting on everything we are grateful for. This year, however, I want you to try something different. Take the time to think about the struggles, difficulties, and hard times you have faced and find gratitude in these experiences, too. I\u2019ll start\u2026<\/p>\n

Disappoints I Am Thankful For:<\/h2>\n

\u2022 My parents not letting me do everything I wanted to while growing up<\/strong> \u2013 If they would\u2019ve, who knows where I would be now? Would I have gone to college (where I met my husband, too)? Would I have learned proper morals elsewhere? Would I even be sitting here writing this? Who knows? The one thing I do know is that I\u2019m sure glad they didn\u2019t let me do some of the things I begged to do!<\/p>\n

\u2022 Missed job opportunities<\/strong> \u2013 If I would\u2019ve gotten a few of the jobs I desperately wanted in the past, I would have never pursued my writing full-time and would still be wondering about \u201cwhat could have been.\u201d Sure, I would have continued down my social work path, but I honestly feel that I have helped just as many children and families through my writings and other teachings \u2014 not to mention doing all of this while being home with the kids to wait on them hand and foot!<\/p>\n

\u2022 My kids not listening<\/strong> \u2013 The older my children get, I have begun to realize that just because they sometimes don\u2019t listen when I tell them to do something, does not always make them defiant or bad. It makes them who they are and encourages me to see their point of view. Don\u2019t get me wrong, it doesn\u2019t mean that I agree with them or that it doesn\u2019t make me mad, it just means that it nudges me to truly hear what they are saying and to appreciate their differences before I ground them!<\/p>\n

\u2022 Arguments with my husband<\/strong> \u2013 If we had never spoken up and expressed our feelings when something was bothering one of us, our marriage may not be as strong as it today. It\u2019s also fun to make up once the fight is over \u2014 even if it\u2019s a few days later!<\/p>\n

\u2022 Friends who have hurt me<\/strong> \u2013 If they wouldn\u2019t have betrayed me, I may have never realized just how much I cherish the ones who haven\u2019t. It\u2019s ironic because you spend so much time in the first half of your life being pissed at everyone who has ever hurt you and waste your days trying to figure out what you did wrong that oftentimes, you feel you will never get over it. Well, let me tell you, as you cross over into your forties and beyond, you absolutely do<\/em> get over it because you know there are more important things in life. This is because the older and wiser we get, we finally realize (hallelujah!) that we can actually walk away from negative people, cross them off our friend list, and move on! When I think back now, for every crappy friend I have lost throughout my life, I have almost always ended up encountering a better one down the road who are still in my life today!<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s your turn. What are some of your \u201cthankfuls\u201d that have come out of disappointing situations?<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the holidays right around the corner, we start reflecting on everything we are grateful for. This year, however, I want you to try something different. Take the time to think about the struggles, difficulties, and hard times you have faced and find gratitude in these experiences, too. I\u2019ll start\u2026 Disappoints I Am Thankful For: […] <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n