Thankful for Night

Thankful for the Night

I am thankful for the Night

 The Night is followed by the Morning

I am thankful for Tears

 Tears gently stream to a place of Peace

I am thankful for seasons of Poverty

 Poverty produces the fruit of Humility

I am thankful for Dark Days

Dark Days are pierced with memories of the Light

I am thankful for Failures

Failures create a longing for Success

I am thankful for Pain

Pain relieved is Healing

I am thankful for Loss

Loss births appreciation for Gains

I am thankful for Sadness

Sadness seeds expectancy of coming Joy

I am thankful for moments of Vulnerability

Vulnerability invites genuine Intimacy

I am thankful for Brokenness

Brokenness beckons a new Wholeness

I am thankful for Goodbyes

Goodbyes leave room for new Hello’s

I am thankful for the Night

The Night is followed by the Morning

I wrote this poem in 2005 and shared it with my family at the Thanksgiving dinner table that year. Little did I know how much of the truth and reality of this poem was yet to be experienced. As I have shared several times already in these blogs, Success in life is all about how we face and handle Life’s Paradoxes. Sitting around the table that Thanksgiving was Allene, myself, Ryan, our youngest son, and Beth, our oldest and Sebellah’s future mom. Beth had already been struggling with her addictions and mental illness for years, and Ryan would soon start down the dark road that addiction offers and struggle for years himself. Ryan was able to make it out of that dark path, Beth was not. Hence, Life’s Paradoxes!

I am thankful for all of my children and my grandchildren, those who are with us, and the ones who are not. I am thankful for the one who left us way too soon. Even in her tragedy, she offered a precious gift that we cherish every day! Her spirit lives on! Yes, another Paradox.

We can find and experience Joy, Happiness and Fulfillment but not without the price of Sadness, Pain and Disappointment. My hope is that in the coming days our lives will be more about Joy, Happiness and Fulfillment and Yet…

Sharing the Journey,

Rich (“Pops”)

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I have been involved in the field of Human Services for 30 plus years. I teach in the field of Human Services for Purdue University Global. Allene is a stay at home "Lolli", after spending many years in the Healthcare field. We have 3 adult children and in May, 2018, we adopted our granddaughter, who is 6 years-old. We have had her since she was 5 months old. At the end of 2019, we moved to Mount Airy, North Carolina, as a part of a plan to downsize and give Allene the chance to retire, and be at home full-time. We are devoted to making a difference in Sebellah's life and also in the lives of other grandparents raising grandchildren.

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