A famous book writer sat in his study. He took his pen and began to write:
“Last year…I had surgery to remove gallstones. I had to be bedridden for a long time.
In the same year, I was 60 years old and entering retirement age, quitting a job in a company that I loved so much. I had to leave the job I’ve been doing for 35 years.
That same year I was abandoned by my beloved mother.
Then, still in the same year, my son failed his final medical exam because of a car accident. Repair costs due to car damage were the peak of bad luck last year.”
At the end he wrote:
“What…what a bad year!”
The writer’s wife entered the room and found her husband who was sad and pensive. From behind, the wife saw the husband’s writing. Slowly she backed away and out of the room.
15 minutes later, she came back in and put down a piece of paper with the following inscription:
“Last year, my husband finally managed to get rid of his gallbladder which had been making his stomach hurt for years.
That same year, I was grateful that my husband could retire in a healthy and happy condition. I thank God, he was given the opportunity to work and earn for 35 years to support our family.
Now, my husband can spend more of his time writing, which has always been his hobby.
In the same year, my 95 year old mother-in-law, without any pain, has returned to God in peace and happiness.
And still in the same year, God protected my son from a terrible accident. Our car was seriously damaged by the accident but my son survived without any defects.”
In the last sentence his wife wrote:
“Last year was a year full of extraordinary blessings from God, and we spent it full of wonder and gratitude.”
The writer smiled with emotion, and warm tears flowed down his cheeks. He was grateful for a different point of view for every event he had gone through last year. A different perspective had made him happy.
Friends, in this life we must understand that it is not happiness that makes us grateful. But it is gratitude that will make us happy. Let’s practice seeing an event from a positive point of view and keep envy in our hearts.
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
— Abraham Lincoln
