In life there are so many things that can bring us down. The loss of a job. A house being foreclosed on. A spouse who’s had an affair. The loss of a parent; a spouse; a son or daughter. The list could go on with all the things that make us sad and miserable. However, it’s what we do when these things happen that matters most.

When Mari died it would have been so very easy to curl up into a ball and just wither away as the pain was so acute and utterly deep. I’d cry out of the blue for what seemed like no reason at all other than how much I missed her as the ache went deep. I prayed for God to take me as the pain, the agony, was so much to bear. Yet, He didn’t answer my prayer anytime I prayed for this. He had other plans for my life and one of those plans was to become a writer. He showed me that through writing I’m able to talk about my grief journey. I’m able to get down on paper how I’m feeling in that moment. And the amazing part, for me, is that others actually can relate to those words written. This still baffles me at times as I never thought in a million years I’d not only be writing but that I’d want to be a writer.

God showed me through his loving kindness what He had planned for my life. He gave me the strength I needed to get through that very dark time in my life. He guided my paths to where I am today.

So am I grateful. 100% without a shadow of doubt that is a yes. I couldn’t imagine my life any differently now that He’s given me this gift.

Have you ever had a difficult, or almost unbearable, time in your life? A time of tragedy? A time of great pain? Can you now see the blessings that you’ve received as a result of going through that? Can you see the goodness that came out of that time? I’d love to hear your stories. We all have our own difficult times. We may not think ours is as bad as someone else but in fact if that’s the worst things we’ve been through in our own lives then they are just as hard as someone else and please don’t let anyone diminish that for you.