Can something good come from every challenge?

It has been quite a winter, not just for us Minnesota hardy folks who are used to it, but it seems throughout the United States.  My mother claims this is all the fault of global warming.  She is certain the world going to hell in a hand basket and the harsh weather is a warning for us.  Maybe it is because I don't have to get up every morning, get ready and drive to work, but I honestly haven't minded the winter yet.  Usually by this time I am desperate to find a warm place to escape to.  This year I am finding I notice the beauty of winter more, rather than being frustrated by its side effects like ice covered roads or wind chills that steal your breath away.  It does seem to me that the snowfalls are more beautiful than ever, as evidenced by the picture above.

It reminds me that behind any given challenge, there is something to be valued, appreciated and learned. The past few years and perhaps my age have taught me that going through difficulties doesn't have to mean we either fight or surrender.  Rather I think if we dedicate some time to figuring out what the thing we are dealing with might be trying to show us and realize that it isn't life just picking on us, nor is it the end of the world but perhaps the threshold to something new and wonderful, we might discover that troubles are opportunities to grow up and do it better next time around.  Granted it isn't that easy when one is in the midst of big troubles and sometimes the fight or flight instinct just takes over.  What I have discovered though is that neither of those are very productive options, unless we take the time to understand what happened, what we might have done to bring on the trouble or simply understand what we are supposed to learn from the series of unfortunate events.  I know I will continue to make mistakes and face challenges.  My hope is that I approach them with a new attitude.  Seek the good that comes from it, even if it isn't entirely clear in the moment.  Trust that there is something at work in me that will help me to become a more whole, open-hearted human being.  That is afterall the point of the journey I think.