Hindsight

Hindsight is a funny thing.  To look back on a moment and think that you would have done something differently or that maybe you learned something so important from a situation you never expected to be so significant.  I feel like I have had this conversation a lot lately with myself, friends and family members.

We all look back in hindsight at some point, don't we?!

I believe hindsight is always a good thing.  Either you look back and you learned something valuable or you look back on something and you say, thank God I chose to walk that path.  I am the kind of person that believes there is an underlying reason for everything that happens to us.

I sometimes get overwhelmed with the thankfulness that we have Stanlee and think, where would Stanlee be if we wouldn't have adopted him?  Would he be loved the way he is now?  Stanlee has taught me to never give up and he has inspired me tremendously with LBF.  Where would we both be if I followed through with trying to find him a new home after I thought I couldn't handle his health and nervous issues?

When I look back in hindsight, I think about the hard times in the beginning of LBF and my thoughts about giving up.  Looking back in hindsight, I am so thankful that I remained dedicated and have seen where this small business could go.

I think back to almost 5 years ago when my husband and I started our move across the state to an unexpected location.  It was a very hard couple years adjusting to living in a country area where we didn't know anyone.  At times, it felt like our lives were on hold.  But then I think, if we didn't experience that, our next move to the Cleveland area wouldn't have been as exciting.  When we moved to Cleveland we felt like newlyweds again!  There were things to do and we made the best of every week while we lived there.  It was cut short to a year, and I think that I will always remember that year living life and enjoying everything northeast Ohio had to offer.  We both say that was by far our favorite year of married life yet.  If Mansfield didn't happen before Cleveland, would we have appreciated it as much?  Would Justin be in the job he is in now if it weren't for Mansfield?  In hindsight, as much as we didn't want to live in Mansfield, wonderful things came from the situation that has made us a stronger and happier couple.  In hindsight, I am thankful for that first move a couple weeks after our wedding.

In talking with friends and family recently about their hindsight experiences, and looking back at some of mine, I wish I could use stories to encourage others to power through.  There might be times we feel so lost, or question giving up.  There might be times that we think, why did this happen to me?  Maybe we look back and wish we could erase an experience.  Either way, looking back in hindsight has made us stronger.  It's all a part of growing and becoming a better person.

This is something that is has been on my heart, and a part of conversation lately that I thought I would share.