“…as we come to God with our hurts–honestly, not superficially–something life changing can begin slowly to happen….true gratitude embraces all of life: the good and the bad, the joyful and the painful, the holy and the not-so-holy.”
I have funerals on the brain this week, so I will share a funeral story from my own family. When my paternal grandfather died, a priest led his service. A priest who did not know my grandfather in the slightest. The priest spent a few moments of the service saying nice, generic things about what a good person my grandfather was, and none of it was true. My grandfather had a lot of flaws, and he hurt a lot of people. Every one of us in that funeral service was there because we loved him in spite of some big mistakes he made, and some very hurtful things he had done. What struck me, looking around that room and rolling my eyes at the priest, was that the truth was much more beautiful–much more worth celebrating. The truth was that even a man as flawed as my grandfather had experienced grace. Wounds were healed. Forgiveness was real. That is what I am grateful for–not just the things about my grandfather that were truly good, like his love for his children and grandchildren, but also the whole truth of his life. The whole truth of our broken, messy family. The whole truth of God’s amazing grace.
the beautiful changes... 
So often this is the case. I’m always grateful when God’s truth shines through to bless.
I just got to read this. and wow. so so true. not just for your family.
I’m thinking family in a different way:
http://justwriteitwncc.blogspot.com/2012/12/saturday-first-week-of-advent-advent.html