"It's not happy people who are thankful. It's thankful people who are happy."

Currently, 4 of my close friends are in extremely difficult seasons. Struggling with things beyond what I think I could endure myself. I hear it in their words, their voice, I see it in their bodies. And I feel helpless.

One of them is in extreme pain from Rheumatoid arthritis, the other is filing for bankruptcy, another one just lost her husband, and another is battling thoughts of suicide.

When your witnessing and experiencing the pain of others, it forces you to fall on your knees and thank God for everything. And that's exactly what I did. As I mourned for my friends I thought, "Who am I to deserve all this goodness but my friends are suffering with agonizing hardships."

I felt so undeserving of my life, but at the same time indescribably thankful. I'm so thankful for a warm coat, my strong body, my hardworking husband, my art studio, the food in my fridge, everything. All are gifts to me, nothing I deserve or earned, but things I was given by God.

We may never know the "why's" of our struggle or the struggles of others. And what my friends are going through seems completely unwarranted, but I've come to realize our focus shouldn't be on the "Why's" but the "Thank you's". Thank God for the empathy I've gained, and for the wisdom I can take from my friends situation. Praise Him for my current season of life. And praise Him for the happiness I now have from being thankful for ALL things.