There are some sayings I have heard throughout my life…like “there’s two sides to every coin,” or “it’s a double-edged sword” for example. They are often used to describe situations that are somehow contradictory with themselves. Good old Goggle says these “idioms” show us that there are positives and negatives in the world which are often held in the same container.
I never really thought about these sayings in connection with being thankful, but this year is a little different. I am SO thankful to be in Alaska! It is so far away from the rest of my family. The snow is SO beautiful! Uh oh, there’s ice on the road. I really like my new to me car! You mean I must pay for it? Good and bad, positive and negative…in the same container.
Isn’t that the way life is though? A journey that takes us down the road, not just allowing us, but forcing us to choose how we view the scenery. To quote another idiom, do we see “the cup half full or half empty?” Questions that you might say cause interrupted thanksgivings!
The lesson I’ve been learning is that the healthiest position is to see both. There is no doubt a thankful lifestyle is a positive asset, but in that practice, we must acknowledge the hard side and give it the attention necessary to successfully navigate it. It doesn’t mean I’m not happy to be in Alaska just because there are times when I miss being able to hug my grandchildren. Even in the missing there is growing, for which I can be, and am, thankful.
This Thanksgiving, be thankful! But don’t just put on the face. Think about the reality of our containers. Appreciate the easy, mourn the hard, and “in everything give thanks.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18.
