Monday, September 15, 2014

Life's Up, Life's Down

Turn the Tables

If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer's day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse.”
Anthon St. Maarten (Divine Living: The Essential Guide to Your True Destiny)

I have several friends and loved ones who are suffering the slings and arrows of life right now. One who is battling breast cancer, one who is experiencing a family break up, one who has lost his job due to spinal stenosis, one who is trying to hold on to sobriety, and the list goes on. Life is not for the faint hearted, and that's a fact. It's doubly difficult when it seems there is something we could do, or could have done differently, to keep the “bad” out, and hang on to the good. Especially when we're young, and still have the omnipotence quotient going for us, it seems that we 'should' be in control not only of our own life, but of the lives of all the people we love most. Imagine a human circus tent, and we're the pole in the middle holding the whole thing up. It's exhausting to even think about.

Truth is, this is just life. It has its ups and its downs, its raging rivers and its wildfires. People come into our lives, and they go out. People we love get hurt, they hurt themselves, sometimes they die unexpectedly. It's not that we should trivialize the things in life that hurt. It's not that we should be cavalier about the pain they are in, or we are in. But we should also expect life to have hardships. Even when they catch us by surprise, and are things we didn't want, and didn't see coming, they are as much a part of life as the beautiful valleys, the streams and ponds, and the cozy fires on a winter's night. Goodness, yes; pain, in equal measure. And in between, golden opportunities to glean the wisdom and learn the lessons.

                                                         In the Spirit,

                                                              Jane

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