My Alphabet of Gratitude...Letter A is for Adversity

It is the month of November, a month of Thanksgiving. I try to be thankful everyday, but it's nice to have a holiday to remind me at least once a year. I have so many things to be grateful for. It is not hard at all to come up with something to be thankful for everyday this month and jot it down. I could go through the alphabet, start out with being thankful for adversity, which I truly am grateful for just not while I'm going through it, and end with Zingers...I mean who am I to resist their ooey goodness? The alphabet would be a wonderful way to come up with all of the things in my life that I am blessed with. So, let's start at the beginning!
A: I am thankful for adversity. It is through my toughest and most difficult times that I have found I have grown the most. I'm a bit of a sissy though, I wouldn't actually choose to go through difficult times would I? I suppose that is debatable some of the time. I want to act as if I did choose each and every situation I go through, that I hand picked this experience just for me, and with that attitude I am free to learn all I can. The emotions can be intense ranging from fear to anger. I cry, scream, and have pity parties along the way, while I'm trying to find the valuable nugget of knowledge from yet another opportunity life has given me. I feel in the moments of my worse adversities I can either give in or go on, it's all up to me, I can get bitter or get better. As I reflect on all my past adversities I can honestly say I either grew tremendously, or regressed horribly. But even through the regressions I learned. That knowledge is then able to be applied to future experiences, the choice is mine wether I do or not. The growth comes when I choose to apply what I have learned, however painful that may be a times. So yes, I am grateful for adversity, for without it I wouldn't be as strong as I am today. It's a strength that is bitter sweet, but I've earned it, so I'll take it.