Thursday, April 9, 2015

Gratitude for the Past









Life is never one, happy, straight journey, it is a series of bumps in the road, curves that turn you around, and traffic jams that find you stuck on your path. Our life has definitely had its fair share of setbacks and struggles, tough days, that when we were stuck in them, we didn't quite know how we would get through. But we did. Looking back now, I realize that although those days are far behind us, they have played a very significant role in the life we lead today. You see had we not experienced the bumps, curves, and traffic jams in the days past, life would be very different right now, so very different.

Justin, Reece, and I spend our days here, on our small bit of earth. We homeschool, we tend chickens, we grow food, we make medicine, we create, we dream, we do things that make us happy. We wake when we want, we eat three meals a day around our table, together, and we enjoy quiet evenings at home, unfazed by the rush of the world outside our front door. It's a good life, a simple life, a life we have chosen, and crafted over the years because of things that happened 16 years ago. None of it has come without struggle and sacrifice, but what I realize now is that the struggle and sacrifice was worth it. Every setback, every moment that I asked "why us", all of those moments have brought us here.

If you told me 16 years ago, when our little world the way we knew it changed, that I would look back on those days with gratitude, I would not have believed it. But now, I do believe, and I am ever so grateful for the bumps along our path, they have been part of creating a life we are so very happy and content to be living. 

54 comments:

  1. Beautifully written. Many of us have journeyed along a rocky, bumpy road and it has made us who we are today. Thank you for the reminder.

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    1. Thank you Julie. I think we all experience bumps along the way, and like you said it does make us who we are today. It was very hard at the time for me to see the good in what happened to us, but it is amazing what some time and perspective can do.

      You are most welcome.

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  2. Very relatable Kim. I feel the same way as you. Life can have rough spots ...but it makes it all sweeter when it is smooth sailing...you know you can get thru it. I do think gratitude is really key in the "good life".
    xo

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    1. Yes, sweeter when we hit those smooth spots, most definitely. I totally agree on gratitude being the key in the "good life".
      xo

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  3. a very beautiful kind of resilience? With mindfulness, beauty and a lot of love, that I can see through you beautiful words and pictures.... of course you make us dream, you give us hope and you tell us to carve our life story as we want to, thanks a lot for these beutiful advices full of humility. I really love to read you each time.

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    1. Awe, thank you my friend for your very sweet words. Resilience is the perfect word for it, I think :)

      Big hugs to you, and your lovely family. xo

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  4. Often I think we tend to forget the bumps that formed our lives and families into the units that they become. Just in the same manner that a bump adds character to a piece of furniture, or scratch to the floor. So to are our lives, a remembrance of these same items that left an imprint. At the end of the day gratitude will bring us so much further then the pull of regrets or disappointments. Thank you for being so open and sharing Kim, it is very much appreciated!

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    1. I think that is often the case too, and lately Justin and I have been talking about what really lead us to the place we are right now, and it really all started with the struggles and setbacks we were faced with 16 years ago. If they hadn't happened our life would be totally different in so many ways, and it was with that realization that true gratitude came for the circumstances we were faced with, and survived.

      My pleasure, thank you for stopping by :)

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  5. That is such a great blog post and so very true!!

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  6. I have to say Kim that this post truly touch d my heart. Trials are going to happen, that is inevitable. But what you learn from them is truly a blessing. They teach us perseverance and surprises us by showing us how strong we really are. As we walk through this life journey, lessons become like precious jewels. Again, thank you Kim for your encouragement every time you visit me. You are a dear blessing to me. Mari

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    1. That makes me so very happy to hear that Mari. Lessons as precious jewels, I love that. You, my friend, are learning so much from your journey right now, and I am happy to be able to share in it, and offer words of encouragement. Hugs to you. xo

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  7. I agree wholeheartedly Kim, it's the struggles of the past that form who we are today and while at the time we can't see it, in the end it is usually for the better.
    Happy Day!

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  8. It's the beautiful mess of life that makes up our stories, and who we are. Like you said, when you're in the midst of the struggle it's so hard to see a way out, but it happens! We look back and realiz how far we've come and can be grateful for the hard times.

    I've been through a lifetime of hardships in the past few years...every bit of it has brought me to this place in my life and I love who I am. It's a beautiful gift.

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    1. It is hard when you are in the midst of it, and for us, it was a very long journey to get out of the mess, almost 10 years, but we did reach the light at the end of the tunnel, and now we are so very grateful to have experience what we did, because this life we are living was so worth it.

      It makes me so happy to read your last statement Darcel. I am so happy for you. xo

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  9. This is a beautiful sentiment, beautifully written (of course!).

    When we were struggling to begin a family, I remember telling myself that what we were dealing with was awful in the moment, but that someday further down the road we would look around at our family - whatever it came to look like - and think that we wouldn't want *now* to be any different than it was, and that *then* was what got us to now.

    And here we are, now. The journey has been sometimes rough so far, but I wouldn't change a step of it. xo

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    1. Well, hello there my friend. How are you? I hope you are well, and that life is treating you and your beautiful family well.

      Thank you. And here you are now, with your beautiful family, and a journey that I am sure is filled with good times. xo

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  10. Beautiful words Kim... we are who we are because of what we have lived. Changing that changes who we are. Finding peace and joy with what we have, not wanting for all the things we don't is the true recipe to happiness. xo

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    1. Thank you Yanic. Yes, totally, everything I have experienced has brought me to this place today, and I am so happy to be here :)

      You are right about happiness my friend, it is easy to find if we just open our eyes and look around. xo

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  11. I love the way you have described where you have come from to get here. The bumps in the road are hard but they do make us stronger in the end and help us to not be worried by what might be coming in the future.

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    1. Thank you. I think that is important to, to realize that whatever comes in the future, we are strong enough, because of past experience, to get through it.

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  12. I think there is just one word for it.. amen!

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  13. Thank you Kim for this. I think it's easy to forget we are not alone in our "bumps". I'm tucking this away for now and times to come.

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    1. You are most welcome Carlin. You are so right, we can get ourselves so tucked away in our own worries that we forget others go through similar situations. We are never alone.

      It makes me smile to know you are tucking this away, thank you. xo

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  14. I think we all have our own ‘back story’, the events and experiences that have shaped who we are today. I too when l look back on my life, am grateful for all of it. All of it has made me who l am today, and l wouldn’t change that for anything.
    Shifting your mindset from ‘why me’ to gratitude is no small feat, and it sounds like you are reaping the rewards of doing so now.
    May the good times continue for you and your family Kim. xx

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  15. I just had a pretty incredible conversation with friend in my kitchen yesterday about this very thing. Our life is a series of circles created by the choices we make. We can choose to let people or events into those circles or not. And it's how we choose to ride out those stories that makes the difference.

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    1. Sounds like an interesting conversation. I would say, though that we don't always have a choice about what comes into our circles. The event that changed the course of our lives, was not a choice, it came without invitation :) But we did have a choice in how we handled it, and lived it out, and for that I am so very grateful.

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  16. What beautiful words Kim!!! And, as always, gorgeous photos too. xo

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    1. Thank you Julie. Hope you are well my friend. xo

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  17. I totally agree!!! Isn't it amazing how powerful gratitude is, especially as a lens when looking at our past, and for living in the moment as we carve out our lives??? My life (like everyone's) has been full of blessings and its share of setbacks and struggles and continue to be so...and I'm practice everyday to be grateful for all of it. xoxo

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    1. Yes, it truly is amazing! I am a huge gratitude junkie, but I have always looked at the present when I offer gratitude, and for some reason the last few weeks I have been looking at the past as well, grateful for the ups and downs that have brought me (and us) to this place. It is a pretty powerful tool.

      xo

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  18. (Nodding) MMmm... well said Kim :)

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  19. I think that's so true, and when we're in the thick of the bumps you can't ever imagine that this is going to have a positive impact on your life. There are still some hiccups that I can't see the positive in but some where I definitely can and I just have to trust that it will all work out in the end!

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    1. It is hard to see in the moment, and for me, it has been quite some time before I could see the positive in all that happened, but recently I have been able to connect to it in a different way, and that has allowed me to be grateful for that particular time in our lives.

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  20. so true! We had our share of challenges and we moved around a lot. I would not trade any of them because they made us savvy for our life together now. Watching my young adult children face their life's challenges and changes pulls my heart and I feel torn on what I want for myself, what I want for them and overall I come down to wanting them to have a strong happy marriage that I have and to be healthy and happy.

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    1. I can only imagine how difficult it is to watch your adult children move through their challenges, definitely a time for deep breathes.

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  21. Beautifully written and so true x

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  22. So true, and you've made me curious...and thoughtful. Today I'm looking through old photos, and thinking also on everything we've been through to where we are. It makes excited for the future as well.

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    1. Curious and thoughtful...good things :) It is nice to think about the past, and all that has gotten you to this point, and yes, it does create a little excitement about the future.

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  23. I've been looking through photos too for the last week - trying to make little scrapbooks for all of my littles. Some of the pictures make me feel tremendously happy and some make me feel sad for the times that were...well...excrutiatingly painful. I guess what makes the difference is being able to look back and to grow and to see that ALL of the experiences are part of the journey. Beautiful post.

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    1. Yes, every experience, good or bad, is part of our journey, and who we are today, I can appreciate the difficulty in looking back, but goodness when we can see how far we have come it really does make for a happy heart.

      Thank you Alyssa. xo

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  24. Kim - thank you for these thoughts and reflection. It is so helpful for me to be reminded that wounds do heal and life does move forward even when it seems impossible to bear it another minute. I hope that I will one day be able to share insights similar to yours. We are are coming out of the trenches now, after almost a year, but our wounds are still very fresh. Thanks again, my friend!

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    1. You are most welcome Kristen. It is all too fresh for you right now my friend, but give it time, one day you will look back on these days and offer gratitude for them. They will be remembered as very difficult days, but you will have gotten through them, and grown, all of you, together.

      I wish for you and your kiddos days ahead filled with love and sunshine. Sending much love to you all. xo

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  25. I find myself often reflecting on how if you'd told me 10 years ago where'd I'd be now - I'd have never believed it. Even 4 years ago.
    I think it helps to reflect on the past occasionally - it forces all the bumps and niggles into a sort of perspective. xx

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    1. Ah, yes, been there too :) Perspective is such a good thing...

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  26. A beautiful reminder that we have to let go and just "know" that it will all flow in a purposeful way....

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  27. Very true, and I think it becomes impossible to have 'regrets' (as well as pointless!) as soon as you have children, any change in the journey would mean a completely different destination, all of a sudden there seems to be much more clarity to the fact that change and choices in how you deal with situations are so much more powerful than regrets.

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