Be Thankful

Life’s little curve balls can sometimes be more like a fastball or a knuckle ball. Everything seems to be humming along….you are in complete control of your destiny (biggest lie on the planet, by the way) and then something unexpected hits you right between the eyes. This happened to my dear wife a few months back. For those of you who have ever been the recipient of pancreatitis there really needs no explanation about the pain and enduring effects. For those who have not, you should kneel down and thank the Lord and pray it never happens to you or to someone you love. Linda pushed through it with her same determination even though this has been probably her biggest health challenge to date which, by the way, includes cancer. It’s easy to have strong emotional feelings and angst about the big “C” but pancreatitis? Really?? Really.

Now she is on the mend although it is a long process of rebuilding strength to do everyday tasks as well as being able to eat a somewhat normal diet. Things you all take for granted, i.e. getting out of bed, taking a shower, brushing your teeth…….just for starters. You get the idea. This was a curve ball that no one would ever see coming and our over stressed healthcare system begins to show its stress when something like this happens and all you want is answers. If you’ve not needed answers medically in the past 6 months you don’t know what I mean but you will, at some point find out.

I've had a reoccurring message in my blog over the years and it really is this….be thankful for what you have and be mindful that it can change in an instant. My Dad always had a way of putting things very succinctly and on this he would say, “ No matter how good things get, don’t forget how bad they can be and no matter how bad things get, don’t forget how good they can be.” It sounds simplistic but it really should be a perspective we all have. Don’t just whine and complain about what you don’t have but instead be very thankful for ALL of your blessings. We all tend to lose sight of this in our busy lives until one day something like pancreatitis brings it home.

It is interesting that I started writing this about two weeks ago and then things got in the way so I shelved it and came back to it this morning and it still rings true. I look at Facebook and am continually amazed about how so many people complain about this or that but never just relish what they have. These are the same people that say the news is always negative and we never hear anything positive. Perhaps the positivity we seek should begin at home. Just a thought….