We Met the Challenge!!

We Met the Challenge!!

I have the most amazing friends.  They have such  caring spirits.  It makes my heart smile just to think about each of them.

Last week I blogged about gifting women in difficult life situations.  Friends replied.  I am so happy to report that our goal was met and because of their generosity,  others will have needs met.  Thank you so much!

Being involved in this venture helped me see my friends through new eyes.  They are caring, generous, loving.  They understand that others need what we take for granted.  They reached out with time and money to make life better for other women.

And that brought another thought to my head.  This one is not so easy.  At some point in our lives we all go through this.

It pains me to even write about this.  But, there are people in this world who are always unhappy.  I don't mean those who are ill.  I mean those whose disposition is always on a downward spiral.  No matter what you say or how you try to encourage them, they manage to find something negative in everything.  Being in their presence is draining.

Wonder why some folks find nothing positive?  Wonder what happened in their life that brought them to this place?  They are certainly right.  Challenging things happen everyday.  We don't live in bubbles of joy and laughter.  We live in the real world where things go wrong.  People get sick.  Relationships fall apart. Children disappoint us.  Jobs are lost.  No one gets out of this life without a few bruises.

So, what gives some the inner power to see beyond the difficulties and make good decisions for themselves and those they care about while others stay in the pits?  If there were an easy answer, it would have already been written about in many books.  It isn't easy to walk above the mess of life.  Sometimes there is no way but to go right through.

Recently I had a wonderful visit with a friend who is a widow.  Instead of crawling in bed and pulling up the covers-which I am sure she has done, she made the decision that life did not end.  A huge portion of it did.  One that can never be reclaimed.  But, she understands that life moves forward.  She is moving forward, too.  I so admire her spirit and her determination.  I admire her ability to accept what she cannot change and move forward to what might be in her future.  It would have been so easy to be negative and down most of the time.  She has willed herself to not do that.

And maybe there is the answer--her will. She does not want to burden others with her sorrow.  She wants to live her life and enjoy people even though her heart is broken.  She wills herself to get up and go.  I love her so much for her strength. She is certainly an example for others who have walked her path.

Many years ago I decided to stay clear of negative folks.  Sure, we are all negative sometime.  We all get our feathers ruffled.  But, these are temporary things.  I avoid the company of those who only see the down side of life.  I avoid them not because I don't care.  I avoid them because they have the power to pull me down.  That is not a place I wish to reside.

So, I have learned much from my friends this past week.  They have given of themselves.  They saw a need and worked to meet it.  They are positive women with generous spirits.

I am so lucky to call them friend.