Day 4: Pulling the Positive out of the Negative

Day 4: Write a short message of thanks for some of the “negative” things in your life.

My response to today's challenge can be summed up in one word...WHAT?

This required more than a little thought. To be "thankful" for the negative would mean I appreciate it. Right? After much (much) reflection, I suppose I have either been through or been witness to some negative things in my life that have brought about a type of thankfulness or realization that I probably otherwise would not have had. Thanks to the person who helped me with today's challenge. :-) I was having a tough time coming up with this and am not too proud to accept help!

Starting with an event in my life that happened awhile back. It made me realize what type of person I want to be and what kind of life I want to lead. It made me change from the inside almost immediately and I'm still growing from it. It forced me to understand the depth of many emotions we possess, that the life you want is worth fighting for, that people are always going to be around to interfere with your life and that I have to take responsibility for my actions. Most importantly, it taught me about forgiveness and faith. Two things I will never be without again. The event doesn't matter to anyone but me so I won't get into details about it. I just know it was a major 'negative' and without it happening, I wouldn't be the person I am today and the person I know I will be in my future. That's the faith part. No one can derail me now. My eyes are wide open. And what an amazing view right under my nose.

Another would have to be all the 'cancer' I have seen in my life. I continue to watch loved ones be diagnosed and I absolutely hate it. It's a horrible (and that's putting it lightly) disease and I pray for a cure every day. The 'thankfulness' out of this is how I watch the spirit of these people and their loved ones FIGHT and never give up. When you are fighting for yourself, there's a sense of ownership. This doesn't make it less scary, but I would imagine you feel a sense of will, determination and even anger that you can only get when it's happening to YOU. But when it's happening to your child, I have a whole other sense of admiration. To quote a friend going through this fight with her child right now, "With all this said we are ready to shake it all off and FIGHT!!! That's what we do!" The thankfulness in this?? Tough to find except it turns me to the most important thing in life...family. These people probably have an even deeper appreciation for life and family going through what they are. None of us are guaranteed another day on this earth. 'Shaking it off' is our way of letting go of the past and heading to the future. If my friend dwelled on yesterday, she'd never be able to enjoy today and would never have the 'fight' in her to do it. And today, she has her family. And today, I'm thankful she shares her story with me to remind me what is really important and irreplaceable.

These negatives both deal with determination and appreciating today for what it is.

Yesterday's the past and tomorrow's the future. Today is a gift - which is why they call it the present.

Easier said than done? Well...I would have never known if I hadn't chosen to do it. These friends and loved ones would have never known either if they hadn't dug deep and clung to what's in front of them and never let go. They are some of my heroes. And I'm thankful for the negative brought to my attention and to those who are sharing their negatives with me. It gives me the opportunity to pray and be a part of their future, as well as mine.