Being Grateful, Even When It's Difficult

Rowdy had a procedure today.  We were hoping this would close his fistula, but it didn't.  At least they were able to obtain some important information, to wit:  he does not have any active Crohn's disease.  The fistula is coming from the spot where the bowel was sewn together during last December's surgery.  So, there will need to be another surgery, but it doesn't mean that they need to take out too much small intestine.

So:

1)  I am grateful that Rowdy wasn't left any worse than they found him.
2)  I am grateful that the Humira is working, and there's no active Crohn's.
3)  I am grateful that there is the possibility of a small resection, one that won't leave Rowdy with short gut.
4)  I am grateful especially that I was reminded in my mind and in my heart that Christ knows exactly how I am feeling right now--sad, discouraged, wavering.  Knowing that He's already been through it and knows what it's like, I know I can lean on Him for comfort and encouragement.
5)  I'm grateful to know that when things don't work out the way that I would like them to, it's not the end of the world.  There are still a lot of things to be happy about and grateful for, and things have a way of being fine anyway.

“In some quiet way, the expression and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature. Gratitude brings warmth to the giver and the receiver alike,” Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said.

“Gratitude, expressed to our Heavenly Father in prayer for what we have, brings a calming peace,” he said, “a peace which allows us to not canker our souls for what we don’t have. Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure. Gratitude on a daily basis means we express appreciation for what we have now without qualification for what we had in the past or desire in the future.”

Elder Hales stressed that we should never forget to thank Heavenly Father for the blessings, gifts, and talents He has given to us. He also taught: “We [should] express thankfulness for what happens, not only for the good things in life but also for the opposition and challenges of life that add to our experience and faith. We put our lives in His hands, realizing that all that transpires will be for our experience.”