I’m Thankful For Sorrow and Pain

There has been a meme going around ‘what i’m thankful for’ on social media this year. The point is to tell what you are grateful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving.  The daily thankful posts have never appealed to me, as I believe you should be thankful each day and not need a holiday to prove you like daily activities, such as sunshine, the love of friends and family, your dog, job, etc.  This is my thankful list.

I’m Thankful For Sorrow and Pain

I’m Thankful for sorrow and pain. I’m Thankful for heartache and sadness. I’m Thankful for disappointment and regret. Being Thankful for joy, friendships and love is easy this time of year, but no one shows gratitude for the flip side of life. Why would anyone be Thankful for the downside of what life has to offer, when so many spend so much time, energy and money to only experience happiness and joy, at any expense? I’ll show you.

I’m Thankful for sorrow and pain because without which, I would never rejoice or know comfort.  Sorrow shows me I know what love is.  I’ve felt the love of a Mother. I’ve known the love of a husband, of friends, of pets.  I’m Thankful for pain, for showing me what health is, what emotion is and what love is.  Pain reminds me of my once healthy body. Without pain, I would not experience the joys of life from a family who chose to give me second life.

I’m Thankful for heartache and sadness which shows how much I cared for family, friends, pets.  Heartache shows how much I give of myself. Heartache shows the pieces of my heart, however battered and bruised, I have freely given. I’m Thankful for sadness, without which I would not know any happiness in life. Sadness made me look forward to seeing my Mother’s smile, my husband’s kiss, my pet’s affection.

I’m Thankful for disappointment and regret, which gives me courage and verve.  I’m Thankful that disappointment gives me the verve and zest for living. Disappointment has shown me I can be so much better, to be wary of false promises from others and has toughened my skin for what life throws at me. I’m Thankful for regret, which gives me the incentive to try new places, new foods, new friends. Regret has it’s place in life, next to opportunity. Regret opens up choices that I would never have noticed before.

So this time of year, I’m more grateful than ever for the downside of what life has to offer, more so than the exalted, candy-coated view of life many see through rose-colored glasses. I’ve lived through sorrow and pain, heartache and sadness, disappointment and regret.

And I could not be more Thankful.

Brick ONeil, Thanksgiving 2013