Life and Thanksgiving

I got an email from a friend asking me to come up with a one word response to a few things. Favorite color was easy - purple. Some of the other items to comment on weren't too bad either. One that had me stumped for a while was 'Life'. So many thoughts came to my mind. Unfair. Hopeful. Blessed. Tiring. Draining. (Maybe I stayed up too late last night watching election results and speeches!) None of them seemed to reflect my predominant state of mind. After thinking for a while I came up with what I think is a pretty good response.

Rollercoaster. There is no doubt that there are many ups and downs to this life. Even if a few areas of your life seem to be going well, there are certainly those that aren't. Along with the roller coaster of life experiences, there is the roller coaster of emotions. It's the downs that help you appreciate the ups and how blessed you are. I have friends and family that are dealing with severe physical pain every day. I don't know how they do it. I admire them for their strength and am so grateful that is not my struggle right now. I have a few friends that are struggling in their marriages, and my heart goes out to them. It is depressing to hear about their pain. At the same time, it is a good reminder that while I am sad that I am not married and often feel alone or miss that type of relationship, I can be grateful that I do not have to deal with a spouse who is not fully committed to his family and their happiness. I don't have to interact with an ex-husband who violates restraining orders, doesn't pay child support, and still gets to have shared custody of our child, etc., etc., etc. There are too many struggles or injustices in this world to enumerate, but I am definitely grateful to enjoy the freedoms and blessings that I do.