My Pity Party

Ok, so last week I was having this problem. Some might call it being self-righteous, others prideful, others ungrateful, others judgmental. Well...it was probably all of the above. The day before Tyler was going to the hospital for Liver tests, Danny and I were having a rough week and worried. Anyway, I heard from a friend (don't worry, it isn't you, this person doesn't blog or check our blog), about one more thing in her life that was tough. Instead of having added sympathy, I thought, "THAT ISN'T THAT BIG OF A DEAL!! Your kid is healthy, you are soo blessed with so many great things in your life and all you do is complain about everything that is bad or hard. Why can't you see all the good things in your life??" Since, I have realized, maybe this issue really was a big deal and maybe her life really is tough and these things that I perceived to be no big deals, or maybe to me aren't that big of a deal, are in reality really hard. She probably would think the same thing about a lot of the stuff that I worry about. With that being said, I am repenting and have since realized we all have our different trials for a reason and you can't compare them to each other. Like Danny always reminds me, "one persons bloody nose can be harder for them than another persons broken back." It is true. Anyway, I am grateful that I have my own personal trials. They have made me and my family better people and helped us draw closer to God. They are making me more empathetic, even though, for a period I was being unsympathetic. I realize I can't judge people anymore, but instead try to understand them by having added sympathy and empathy. I also realized that it is important to surround yourself with positive people when you are going through a hard time. It makes things easier. I want to get to the point that I can listen to someone talk about a trial, and no matter how big or small, think, "that must be really hard." Life..isn't it great! Always working on becoming better in one way or another. Thank goodness people are living longer these days...I need all the years I can to keep improving. This realization also allowed me to realize how very blessed my family is as I reflected on how great our life is and how many wonderful people we have in it!! We are grateful for you. The pics are some of my greatest blessings!!