change

Last night we had a family gathering. The family that we were seeing irritates my husband. They have very different views than we do. They are pretty outspoken. It usually makes for a very unnerving combination. He normally attends these functions with me and does a really good job of holding his tongue, but leaves early using our special needs son and his stimulation as an excuse.

We have talked on numerous occasions throughout the year about tolerance. They have little. He does truly have a lot. They push him to his limits. One of the arguments we have had recently was making the most out of the situation you are handed. You may not always like the situation, but your attitude and your influence CAN make it better. I argued that he is very hard headed when it comes to this side of the family and maybe his expectations are self-fulfilling prophecies when it comes to these gatherings. We have talked about him being more approachable and showing more of the tolerance that he wants them to exhibit. Blah Blah Blah.

Last night was the BEST family gathering we have had EVER. He was amazing. He showed me that he is willing to make changes for he better and guess what? They responded in kind and they were kind, accepting and everyone laughed all night long. The biggest success was that he actually hugged a family member (one I would've never expected) goodbye, seriously. On the way home I decided I would not say anything and he brought it up saying that he recognized that his attitude adjustment made the difference. Wow. Huge steps.

This morning he woke up feeling better than he has in months. A little positivity goes a long way. Something we all need to keep in mind!