“Instead of thinking about how I didn’t get to spend enough time with your parents. Think about all the happy times you’ve already spent with them and be grateful for it. For the longest time, I felt angry that my mother wasn’t around during my teen years. Eventually, I started realizing that wallowing in self-pity was not going to get me anywhere. Instead, I should celebrate the life that my mother lived. I was grateful to have had her for 14 years of my life. We always feel like we didn’t get enough time, or that she passed away too soon. But self-pity and thankfulness are two sides of the same coin. Choosing thankfulness can influence you in positive ways, whereas the prior will only cause you harm and destruction.”