"I'm Thankful" Part Two

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was crazy. I was dashing like a mad girl trying to make a pie, put a craft together, do a long list of errands that had to be done at two separate times and get everyone all packed up to head out of town. Because of the frenzy it wasn't long until I was feeling a bit frustrated with some of my children. Thoughts such as "If Child K just were a little more _________, things around here would be so much easier." or "How come Child M isn't a little more ___________." etc. As I was wallowing in these unproductive thoughts a little tender mercy was given. It came in the form of a thought redirection prompt. It went something like this: We are told to be grateful for what we have instead of focusing on what we lack. This same principle needs to be applied to people's personalities as well. It was such an epiphany for me. So I switched my train of thought to my most recent post. As I reviewed again what I was thankful for about each member of my family my heart softened and I was humbled. I realized that the qualities my children lack are small compared to their talents and strengths and as I focused on those, we all became more productive that day.

Now the challenge: apply that principle more often.