Hello there TeamConfessioners! Today’s episode is a reflection on Dan Shay’s post from last week. If you haven’t had a chance to listen, please pop back and do that now. I’ll go ahead and put a link in the show notes to that episode titled: Why Am I Surprised?

When Daniel was sharing stories of lost golf balls, missing shin guards, and unprepared math students, it reminded me how freeing it can be to not be surprised by my family members. Have you guys heard that quote? If people show you their true colors, believe them. It’s funny how family members will be themselves time and time again, and time and time again it can surprise me.

Maybe one or a few of these will sound familiar to you…

Does anyone have that relative in their family who will find something to complain about no matter how great things are going? (Hell, I’ve been that relative!)
What about the family member who’s always late?
Or the one who always manages to say the wrong thing?
And then, there are those people whose feelings are incredibly easy to hurt—I’ve gotta be super careful around them.

Now, if we all relate to one, or more of these examples, I think this is just family, Team! Dan reminds me that I can stop being surprised, and just accept it. And one way that makes it easier for me to be accepting is to acknowledge that there are also family members who bring so much love, joy, and laughter to the time together. And often, it’s the same exact person!

I can choose to focus on the things that bug me, or I can focus on all of the abundance. That’s entirely up to me. And hey, I know what I’m going to choose. Because, while the annoying stuff is sometimes easier to get drawn to, it doesn’t take long to see that the good blows the bad completely out of the water. There is never a shortage of amazing things to focus on…at least when it comes to my family.

Happy early Thanksgiving everyone. And I’ll be back the day after turkey day to share a quick reflection on actions versus words. Hope you all tune in next time, and thanks for listening!