30 Days of Thanks - Day 1

It's time to start my "30 Days of Thanks" and I could not be more excited.  I will warn you now, I will probably not be the most "lighthearted" thankful person.  I have been through some rough places and have so many things burdening my heart at times, that I feel I have no choice but to be thankful for those feelings/experiences as well as the good.  Though I will say I have some pretty amazing positive things to be thankful for, and those definitely out-weigh the bad.  Of course, I am more than thankful for God, my family and friends, but I want to go deeper.  I want to look back on this and really see my heart.  I want to look over this list in 30 days and really see all the things I am blessed by and how much I have to appreciate.  So here goes nothing........

Today, I am thankful for disappointment.  

Geez Steph!  Way to be a debbie downer right out of the gate! I know, I know.  But this is why.  I feel the disappointment I have endured has shaped who I am and where I have come.  I am the person I am because of disappointment giving me the drive to "break the cycle".  (You will see that term a lot, I completely live by it) I feel I have the drive to be the best wife and mommy I can be because of disappointments I have faced.  I also feel that disappointments in friendships has really made me take a step back and rethink the way I act and react to future situations.  

Most importantly, I learn from being disappointed in myself.  I feel this often, as I am sure we all do.  I think this is such a blessing in disguise.  What better way to "break the cycle" (I told you I use it a lot) than to look back disappointed in the way your handled yourself and learn from it.  I can't tell you how many times I have thought "way to handle that one, goof!" The next time I am in the same situation, or one similar, I know what I don't want to do.  

I appreciate what I have in my life, where I am in my life, and especially who I have in my life because of disappointment.  If I had it all roses and rainbows, I wouldn't truly appreciate just how much God has blessed me, and that is an awful lot.  So, there is my first "thankful".