Grandpa said…

"You can choose to get bitter, or better" said Charles Eugene Beck to his son, Phillip, who had just experienced the crippling effects of betrayal and disappointment. 

Both my grandfather and father have passed, but their words live on in my conscious and now on this blog as I reflect on all that life has to offer.

I choose to get better. After speaking with my roommate and sage, Chris, about the overwhelming frustration and hurt that continues to come from Facebook posts and newspaper articles since becoming a council person, it was clear I needed to start focusing on something else entirely. Even the negative posts about the Greenville community, in general, were weighing heavily on my heart. Chris made one simple statement that gave me a way to get better and not bitter, "You should be thankful for all of the people in the community that cheer you on and support you." (He maybe didn't say it exactly like that, but you get the shift in perspective he was offering.) There are always outliers, but that is just it... I choose to not focus on the outliers because the overwhelming reality does not lie in the outlier.

I am thankful to God that I have such an amazing community. A community that is giving, supportive, loving, kind and genuine. I am thankful for a community of friends and adopted family. I am thankful for a community where everyone has the incredible opportunity to be a part of something good. I am thankful for a community where I have been able to find gainful employment and a boss who loves Greenville. I am thankful for the countless people who continually offer up encouraging words, thoughts, and prayers.

As an act of getting better and not bitter - I am offering thanks.