Seasons

There are seasons when pain feels eternal.

When you’re standing in the middle of loss, heartbreak, fear, or uncertainty, it’s hard to imagine life ever feeling light again. Suffering has a way of convincing us that it’s the whole story.

But it isn’t. It’s just the price of admission…and just 2 seconds of that admission is worth all the pain.  

It’s standing in the Rockies at 14k feet all by yourself, looking around at the scenic valleys below, and just wondering “how lucky am I to be experiencing this moment”. Or, maybe it’s just taking that first bite of fresh warm cherry pie your grandmother made..and just wondering “how is this possible?”. Or, maybe it’s sitting across from your dad, laughing so hard your stomach hurts, and quietly realizing, if life never gets any better than this… it’s already been enough. When our heart is right, we have these moments daily. We just have to keep our hearts and eyes open for them.

These special moments don’t erase the pain.  They just redeem it.

They remind us that every scar, every disappointment, every lonely mile somehow led us here—to this exact moment we would have never known otherwise.  Maybe that’s what gratitude really is….embracing the journey. Or, not denying the suffering, but embracing it.

One of my most favorite Proverbs is “Each heart knows its own bitterness…and no one else can fully share its joy”. That proverb doesn’t seem like much until you’ve lived it. The depth of your pains can expand your capacity for joy. So be grateful for your valleys, they make the peaks even higher!

mm