Perspective

"I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet."

My mother used to repeat this to my sisters and me when we complained.  Today I remind myself of this quote because I was complaining about feeling stressed until I was gently reminded of the real sadness going on around me.  One young friend has terminal cancer, another friend's mother is in the long process of dying, a daughter was filmed by the press after her father was found guilty of several charges, and there are many people who are experiencing difficult situations out of their control.

Sometimes we are overcome with sadness when we hear things on the news.  I admit I often have to limit what I expose myself to in order to prevent being overwhelmed with grief.  I believe we get more of what we focus our attention on so if I focus on what it wrong in the world it becomes larger.  We are ultimately responsible for our thoughts.

So today I am grateful for the gentle reminders that I need to be glad for all the things in my life. and especially recognize that whatever comes my way, I am capable of handling it.