A Touch of Gratitude When One is Hurting

One would think that when someone experiences physical or emotional pain, gratitude would be last on their list of expressions. Yet, Margaret, who experiences physical pain daily with arthritis and other ailments gets up every morning with a smile on her face and is thankful for a new day. Of course she doesn't like the pain but she powers through it. With all her hurting she is still grateful for the blessings she receives and gives thanks for the things she can do on any given day.  

An example an attitude of gratefulness in time of defeat occurred the other day when Hilary Clinton lost the election in the United States.  She was expected to win over Donald Trump - all the experts and polls said so. It was an emotionally draining race to the finish, and a highly emotional loss to Hilary. Listen to her concession speech and count how many times she expressed a sense of gratitude, appreciation, and respect while being gripped in the jaws of defeat. 

The lesson learned here is that it is not only the good things that we should be grateful for, but also when things don't go our way.  When you are hurting in some way are you still grateful for your blessings? It's not always easy, but it does help us through the pain and the healing.