Grateful Heart

Sometimes things happen and we are terribly saddened.
There is defeat or pain or loss.
The most difficult step you take is the one AFTER this pain.
And, when you venture to put one foot out there
for that tentative, scary, soul-defining step . . .
do it with a grateful heart.
Yes ~ a grateful heart.
You might be scared to death.
You might be bitterly angry.
You might be overwhelmingly sad.
But with a grateful heart, you've learned.
And wherever that next step leads - you will be stronger, wiser, better.
Grow from defeat.
Learn from betrayal.
Carry with you the positives of what you've lost.
Know that what you've gained is a blessing.
This is your course.
This is your path.
Carry on . . .
head held high,
shoulders back,
more tenacious than ever . . .
with a grateful heart.