Reflecting on Life

Love the journey.  Don’t worry about the end. – Richard Overton

Recently, my family has gone through some very heartbreaking transitions.  Sometimes you really don’t know how different situations will affect you until you are right there in the moment.  We have all said at one time or another, “if that was me, I would have…” but the reality is that we never know how we will respond to any given situation until we are faced with it directly.  Often when tragedy or heartbreak strikes it tends to slow us down a bit.  For me, the past three weeks have been very rough.  It seemed almost every day I was receiving bad news of some sort.  I couldn’t quite wrap my head around all of it.  I knew I was going to have to face these things that I didn’t necessarily want to deal with but it had to be done.

In facing these recent challenges, I have learned two things.  One, everyone makes their own choices in life.  You can either recognize that things in your life aren’t going quite right and do something about them or you can ignore them and allow sadness, disappointment, hatred and depression to consume you.  Two, God has blessed my life with some really amazing people.  For so many years I was consumed with the negative stigma of my childhood but the older I get and the more I reflect on my life, my eyes become more focused on the many, many people God has placed in my life over the years who have added light to my pathway in order to keep me moving forward.  Of course, this list of people is too great for me to list them all here but I do make sure when I am spending time with them or talking to them by phone to let each and everyone of them know just how important they are to me.

When life gets hard our tendency is to focus on the tragedy or the heartbreak but if we focus too long it can consume us and throw us off track.  It is important when dealing with sadness or heartbreak to get back into a normal daily routine as soon as possible.  Grieve, be sad or be mad but don’t wallow there too long. Life is meant to be lived each and everyday.  None of us know when or where that last day may be so live for today.  Make positive choices that will enhance your life or the lives of those you love.  When you feel like you’ve gotten stuck or can’t make heads or tails of something…don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Surround yourself with those who see and want only the best for you but aren’t afraid to tell you when you are dead wrong.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. – John 13:34

#Love #Heartbreak #Reflections #Sadness #Loss