"Is this going to be a gift, or a burden?"

I was taken aback by the story of Sean Stephenson in the Chicago Tribune this morning. I was tempted to describe Sean as "suffering from" Osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition that has stunted his growth, left his bones so brittle that he had to endure more than 200 fractures by the time he was 18, and usually relegates him to a wheelchair. But Sean refuses to "suffer from" his condition.
He points to a time when his mother asked him, "Is this going to be a gift or a burden?" as fundamental to his outlook on life. He now counsels others, is a motivational speaker, and has recently had his first book published.
Part of his story that struck me was how his parents told him to focus on what he could do, not on what he couldn't; and that they used an egg timer to force him to limit his periods of self pity to 15 minutes. (I tend to use a calendar for myself.)
Yup, some days the good Lord has a way of dope-slapping me into the appreciation of all I have been given. It's going to be a good day today.