Then You Stand

Its easy to be thankful when life is easy...when you don't need to make lemonade because life simply hands you a Long Island. When you are content with your job, your family and friends and, in my case, your passport stamps...which I never am :).


Its when things are going wrong, when you can't seem to catch a break, that being thankful is not only hard to do, but imperative.  Character is developed when you are stretched to your limit, when it takes courage to start each day, and when you know that just because you do, doesn't mean things will get better.


Epicurus once said, "You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity."


Finding the silver lining is what makes life worth living. A life without adversity, without hardships to overcome would be...boring. Maybe its just my personality, maybe I'm an anomaly....I wouldn't be surprised. But I find myself happier when I have to fight for it. When my relationships are real and honest and take courage to maintain. When my job is stressful and overwhelming and almost too much to handle. I am most thankful when I can lay my head down at night knowing I gave that day every ounce of strength and determination that I have in me. That I didn't let my day, my life, pass me by, but rather I grabbed on to it with both hands and squeezed as much out of it as I could. 


I never hope or pray for tough times, and often wish their speedy departure from my life, but I have learned to be content, no matter my circumstances. To give thanks not only despite them, but because of them.


Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend till you break
Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand.


~ Rascal Flatts