Joy and Pain, Laughter and Tears
Today I am grateful for underbed storage totes and time to go through some of our "stuff." I am also grateful for time spent with my friend Dorothy yesterday.
Joy and pain. Laughter and tears. There was plenty of laughter among the "Lake City Nine" this weekend, but also some tears. Between us, we have known much joy and suffered through our share of pain. From the death of loved ones, to challenges for our relationships and for our children, to cancer diagnoses and other health concerns. The details don't matter. We have all weathered difficult times and we have all basked in the joy of celebrating life's wonders.
Life doesn't guarantee us constant joy and laughter. But it also isn't meant to be all tears and pain either. I believe life gives us both ends of the spectrum so we appreciate it all more. If things were always going well, we would lose perspective and start to feel entitled. Appreciation for all of our gifts would erode as we came to expect them always being there. Only through times of loss, pain, and struggles do we learn certain lessons. Lesson like the precious and fragile nature of life and each day.
My friends and I shared more joy than pain this weekend. More laughter than tears. But I so appreciate that our comfort level with one another allows us to share both. The sharing matters. One person's joy shared is joy multiplied. One person's pain shared is pain reduced. Not reduced in that it goes away, but reduced in terms of carrying the burden alone.
Gratitude practice helps me find the little joys in each day. It also helps strengthen me for when the pain and challenges come along.
I am blessed to have friends I can share a comfortable weekend with as well as some of my own emotions, both the tough ones and the easy ones. Thanks for being there!
Joy and pain. Laughter and tears. There was plenty of laughter among the "Lake City Nine" this weekend, but also some tears. Between us, we have known much joy and suffered through our share of pain. From the death of loved ones, to challenges for our relationships and for our children, to cancer diagnoses and other health concerns. The details don't matter. We have all weathered difficult times and we have all basked in the joy of celebrating life's wonders.
Life doesn't guarantee us constant joy and laughter. But it also isn't meant to be all tears and pain either. I believe life gives us both ends of the spectrum so we appreciate it all more. If things were always going well, we would lose perspective and start to feel entitled. Appreciation for all of our gifts would erode as we came to expect them always being there. Only through times of loss, pain, and struggles do we learn certain lessons. Lesson like the precious and fragile nature of life and each day.
My friends and I shared more joy than pain this weekend. More laughter than tears. But I so appreciate that our comfort level with one another allows us to share both. The sharing matters. One person's joy shared is joy multiplied. One person's pain shared is pain reduced. Not reduced in that it goes away, but reduced in terms of carrying the burden alone.
Gratitude practice helps me find the little joys in each day. It also helps strengthen me for when the pain and challenges come along.
I am blessed to have friends I can share a comfortable weekend with as well as some of my own emotions, both the tough ones and the easy ones. Thanks for being there!
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