It's All In What You See

A Terrible Loss

Leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, my wife and her family were handed a devastating blow. My wife's grandmother passed, unexpectedly. While she was 90 years old and lived an incredible life, she was also the foundation and rock to this large family. Grandma's legacy includes 3 children, 8 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren. I was fortunate to have known her for 10 wonderful years. She was one of those rare people who impacted and touched everybody's life she encountered. It didn't matter if you knew her for a day or if you knew her for a lifetime.

Life And How You See It

Last Monday evening brought us to the calling hours and wake for my wife's grandmother. It was a rough night for many, as I am sure you can imagine. Family and friends gathered to remember a wonderful life and a terrible loss.

But for me, things were a little different. I didn't have a chance to grieve or to cry. I loved Grandma dearly and life was not the same knowing she would not be physically present to impact my life and the life of our two children. And that's when it happened...

My father-in-law's business partner approached me, and said the following:

"I never expected to walk in, and see you with a big grin on your face."

I responded, best I could, "I have two beautiful (young) children to look after and they are just so full of life."

Our two-year-old daughter was the belle of the ball. She captured the hearts and minds of everyone who walked in the door. She was so well behaved, yet also seemingly knew just when to crack a smile or laugh. Perhaps the best was when she would comfort my mother-in-law or go looking for Kermit - my mother-in-law's oldest brother. She literally took sobbing people and brought smiles to their faces in the hardest of times.

Not to mention the impact our 2-month-old son had as well. Everyone saw the innocence and life brimming from his soft coo's and gentle smiles.

Your Vantage Point

My father-in-law's business partner really did make the strongest point of the week.

"I never expected to see you smiling, when I walked in the door."

And again, that's when I realized it's all what you see.

I will not pretend to suggest we live life as an optimist or that you run out and find the good amidst the bad or evil in the world. While it is certainly easier being positive and optimistic, it is more beneficial when it is real.

No, I won't do that...

I want to share that life is all about how you see things... How you experience things... And that's what my most recent article suggests. It's the difference that perhaps took me from an average kid to be diagnosed with ADHD to someone who was given a gift - a gift of hope, support, and unwavering belief.

This article talks about the difference between being idntified as "gifted" versus being labeled with "ADHD."

There are lots of similarities.
There are lots of differneces.

But neither of these really matter or are important.

Instead, what does matter is:

1. How you build yourself up and view yourself
2. How people treat you and respond to you

That's how reality exists... Not in optimism or pessimism, but rather in reality and how we see ourselves amongst the rest of the world.

"Our thoughts create our reality."
-Author Unknown