With each day of this year, there have been struggles. We started off the year with Jemma in the hospital and have since lost our house, I have been diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis and deal with severe pain daily, and things have just been hard. We have dealt with death of a pet, loss of belongings, and so much more. It has been difficult to stay positive day in and day out.
Our financial world was flipped upside-down and, if you are in a relationship, you know that is one of the worst things to affect it. We have made sacrifices and so have our kids. We don’t have the life we used to have. Being together is sometimes harder to imagine than being apart. We keep trying though and have not given up.
I think the key to this, for me, is to choose happiness. There are so many things I can be down and upset about but I have to choose to be happy for the things that are good in my life. Yes, we could have lost Jemma and I struggle daily with the PTSD of her hospital stay, BUT she is alive and doing well. Yes, she has some underlying problems BUT she is happy and thriving.
Yes, money is very tight BUT my kids always have food on their plates and we are not hungry. Yes, I am always worried about money and where it is coming from to pay for bills, BUT I have this blog that provides (although not much) for our family. We may not have much in the way of monetary value BUT we have a lot. We have love, faith, friendship. We have a wonderful family and my support network is growing. We have a church community that has given us blessings that we could never have expected. We have our pets that provide us with laughs daily.
Instead of focusing on how much our lives are not going well right now, I have chosen to focus on all that we do have. Because, we may not have a lot of money but we are so rich in love. My kids provide me more love than I ever thought possible. I could never give up on believing that things will get better because they deserve more. I could never forget how blessed I am when I wake every day to their loving faces. I could never forget how much I am loved when time and again, God provides for us when we need it most. That may be in the form of someone helping us with a bill, a gift card that shows up for blog work when we need it most, or simply having a lower bill than expected.
Choosing happiness can sometimes be hard. My husband struggles with this much more than I do and can really be a downer at times. But I think it really is the key to being happy, both in your own lives and in relationships.
What do you think? Do you agree?
This is huge! Happiness is a conscious choice. I find in my life and as I work with my clients that we all have the tendency to let the inner-critic speak first and loudest. In every moment, we can choose to be happy. Thanks for sharing this post, it’s powerful!
Best,
Amita
http://www.AlignedHolistics.com
I AGREE TO CHOOSE HAPPINESS . GOD DIDN’T BRING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY THIS FAR AND LEAVE YOU. THERE IS SOMETHING MORE HE WANTS YOU TO DO. AS THEY SAY ONE DOOR SHUTS AND ANOTHER OPENS UP. I WILL ADD YOU TO MY PRAYER LIST. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS.
Thank you for visiting Vianna and for the prayers. They are very much appreciated. I agree with you about God wanting more for us. He never lets me down when I rely on him. It is when I lose faith that I feel alone.
I totally agree, I definitely allow myself to be happy. As I age I realize that my happiness is solely my responsibility so I try to choose happiness whenever possible! Choosing Happiness is making you a good role model for your children.
Thanks for sharing Karen (and for sharing). It is so hard sometimes but you are right about it being my responsibility. I have to focus on the good instead of the bad more. I have so much to be thankful for!
I very much agree. Good attitude even though it is hard. Most people have money problems.