Grateful

I'm always grateful for any reminder that my problems are minor compared to the lives of some others. This week I've been dealing with something that I rarely have to deal with -- someone was mean to me! *shock and horror* For months I've been co-planning an event that finally takes place this weekend, and after all the hard work and effort put into it, it's finally coming to fruition and promises to be a wonderful time. (95 women scrapbooking at a camp in the mountains -- it doesn't get much better!) I know you "can't please all of the people all of the time," etc, but the last thing I expected four days before the event was to be hit with the suggestion that I had treated people unfairly, and have it intimated that it was deliberate. When I tried to explain my actions, I was rebuffed, and it was made clear that it didn't matter what I said -- I was now a bad person who they don't want to work with ever again.

Frankly, this has come from someone that made my life difficult many times over the last six months, so my heart isn't breaking over that last part. But to have done the best I could with what I had, and then be told that they would have to "try to salvage (what they could from) this weekend"... Don't be a hater!

Now I get to spend the weekend running into this person, and even working with her a bit, which whether I like it or not, will be uncomfortable. It won't ruin my good time, but it's a dent, a blemish that will keep popping up and reminding me of the hurt feelings.

Getting back to my original point -- in the grand scheme of things, my hurt feelings are a welcome difficulty when I see all the various struggles in the lives of others. Just reading the blogs of a few wonderfully graceful Christian women who are going through very large, life changing happenings right now, makes me thankful that I have so little to complain about. If you haven't read about Amber or Heather, click on the "Life with the Ferrells" or "Mom 4 Life" blogs in my list. They are proof of how God can truly comfort and give strength during times of heartache and pain. That's reason enough for me to feel encouraged, no matter how sad the stories. Thank you, Ladies, for sharing your experiences with the rest of us.