Thanks for the "Bad" Stuff

Thanksgiving was great! It was yesterday, on Saturday. At least at this house it was. Morgan made a fabulous dinner for us four - turkey and the works. Since I'll be in hospital on the day you all celebrate it, we did it when we could. I have to fast today and tomorrow for surgery. Gak. At any rate, it really felt like the real day. Hey, we can be thankful any day we want, right?

What am I thankful for? Well, I'm thankful I got cancer ten years ago. Without it, I probably wouldn't be a true Believer. I was a "sort of" Believer before, but being told you'll die is a sure way to rethink one's life and beliefs. Take my work for that. It just is.

I'm thankful my son has Asperger's. He is so much more interesting and brilliant that a regular kid. And he's made me see the world so differently than I would have otherwise, made me learn to be a better a person for the struggles we've endured. Made me thankful for our pain, for without it, pleasure could grow old and loose some of its allure.

I'm thankful that I was stupid enough to marry a guy I barely knew and never would have married if I'd been smart. I'd have missed out on such a glorious journey of discovery and adventure with the most brilliant and creative man I've ever known. Yes, we were fools to marry without actually knowing one another, but God was in control, even as we were not. Thank God!

I'm thankful for my crooked teeth. A guy I adored once told me that they were "bothersome" to him, so I was probably saved years of pain by realizing his shallowness so clearly. His jerkiness shone and I've smiled just fine ever since. I'm also thankful for my premature white hair, since it is probably my best feature, even though most women will go to ridiculous lengths to avoid the same.

There are surely good things that call up my thankfulness, but it is the bad things that probably have meant the most, because they came, not from my will, but from the will of the One who knows me. When your life hurts, when it seems devoid of pleasure or happiness, then know it is time to open your eyes and LOOK. You'll be surprised at what you see. After all, happy days one after another will grow boring and lose their pleasure after a time. Grab onto that which hurts, and you'll live.