Think More Positively

I am an optimist- it's my coping mechanism. If all else fails, when things seem at there bleakest, I often laugh...OK this can border on being a wee bit manic but you'll rarely see me glum. I really am so grateful for all that I have and I truly believe all problems have a solution. This makes me sound rather insufferable but even in the darkest of times there's a glimmer of hope, a spark of humour or that tiny grain of positivity. I see that all the time with patients and their families- the positivity some are able to maintain where there may be little hope to cling to. It puts whatever small issues I might be dealing with into perspective.
If all else fails there's always Julian of Norwich:
"All shall be well
And all shall be
And all manner of thing shall be well"
It will be, one way or another. Julian lived through pretty unsettled times (plague and what not) and yet her optimism shines through as she interprets the world as being created by a God of joy, compassion and mercy.

Think more positively

Hopefully most people that know me would agree I'm a fairly positive person. I don't think I'm much of a wallower (although I can be rather irritable and grumbly) and, generally, when adversity is thrown my way I tackle it head on. I think I'm an incredibly fortunate person so this makes me incredibly grateful and thankful.
My husband is a pessimist who believes I have enough positivity for us both. I like to think we complement each other!
When applying to be selected for ordination you have to write out a list of all the major events in your life which have affected, shaped and formed you into the person you are. I found this the most difficult part of the entire process but it made me realise two things.
Firstly it's our negative experiences, and our response to them, which affect and shape us the most. Secondly I'm really thankful for those negative experiences because without them I'd not be me.
Bad things happen, bad things happen all the time for no apparent reason- working with life limiting illnesses makes that more than apparent- but I'd much rather be a "why not me" person than a "why me" person.

Positive Thinking

Thinking positively is something I hope I try to do every day, it doesn't however come quite so easily to the rest of the Jenkies. Getting them to make a list of the good things in their lives hopefully helped them to see that they're not so hard done by.
I am so grateful for my life and feel blessed in a thousand ways. It's easy to forget all the small things, but they are often the most important.

Psalm 9:1
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.