Have you noticed lately that it seems to get harder to find things to be thankful for in your everyday life? It seems every time I open the newspaper or turn on the radio station, there is talk of more layoffs, violent crimes, or other horrific news. It can be so easy to get caught up in that way of thinking – and it can be even easier to get sucked into a feeling of despair and desperation.

A colleague of mine was writing on a similar topic not too long ago and it really got me thinking about the way I’ve been looking at life in general. I hate to admit it, but I was one of those people who were getting sucked into that feeling of despair! There was no light at the end of the tunnel – no way out. It’s hard to think otherwise in the economic situation that we have in North America.

I had to really dig deep within myself to remember the things that were told to me when I was a young child. I call them wisdom pearls because no matter how “down and dirty” things get, I can pull out those wisdom pearls, wash them off, buff them to a keen shine and they’re good as new.

Have you ever had your kids walk in to the house, boots filled with water and dirt? They were playing outside in the park after a huge rainfall and they seem to have found every single puddle and dirt pile that was outside. They come dancing up the driveway and in through the back door to your kitchen. The kids are covered head to toe in whatever it was they found outside, and despite your best efforts, your kitchen gets covered with the same grime that came in on the kids. As your angels run through the house to find some more fun, you take a look around and curse under your breath at all the work you’ll have to do (or worse yet – redo!).

Remember those pearls I was talking about? Well let’s pull out that pearl and get it shined up, shall we? When I was young, I WAS that child coming in covered head-to-toe in Lord knows what, and I remember my grandma telling me, “You kids mucking up Gram’s floor doesn’t bother me one bit – it means my babies are here with me”.

Doesn’t that pearl shine through all the muck your kids just brought in?

No matter how bad things look at the moment, we need to try to find the silver lining – no matter how hard we have to look. Sure, my little pearl isn’t going to send that mud caked all over your kitchen anywhere, but it sure does give you a different perspective.

So the next time your car breaks down in the middle of the road; or you walk in to your boss’ office as he hands you yet another stack of paper; or you have a mountain of dishes to wash by hand – remember Grandma’s advice. Your car couldn’t have broken down if you couldn’t afford to have a car in the first place. Your boss couldn’t have given you extra projects if you didn’t have a job (or if you weren’t good at the one you do have). And you wouldn’t have to do any dishes if you didn’t have any food to eat.