From roller coasters to water slides, from laughter to tears and everything in between. Yes this has been one of those summers. My expectations for myself and my business seemed to come to an abrupt stop from Memorial Day weekend to the present day. Summer was going to be all about fun trips to the beach, amusement parks and all things Hot Chic Sports. But as the story goes, that was not to be. Bear with me for a few moments, as in the midst of all the chaos that erupted, a much greater lesson emerged.
On Memorial Day weekend, a friend from high school collapsed with a brain aneurysm. A week later my girlfriends daughter, who was 27 weeks pregnant, collapsed from a brain bleed, and remains on life support. If this was not enough, another friend shared news that her husband had Leukemia however since the doctors thought it was caught early, things should be okay. On July 4th, he passed away leaving a very young wife and a precious two-year old son. And it continues…. A good friend whom I’ve been blessed to race alongside for many years, found out she had breast cancer, and has possibly spread to other areas. She has been enduring grueling aggressive chemo treatments all the while with smiles and encouraging words to others. It doesn’t end here. A couple of weeks ago my best friend collapsed from what they believe was a heat stroke, with her potassium levels at a very low and dangerous level. She was knocking on death’s door for a spell, but thankfully she is now recovering and doing well. All of this in a time span of 8 weeks.
So where is the joy in all of this you ask? As I wrestled with my faith and tried to keep my head above water, I found strength from an unexpected source. Remember my friend whose husband suddenly passed away from Leukemia? While she has been wrestling through so much sadness and grief, she has ministered to me on so many levels. Her postings on Facebook have not only brought tears to my eyes, but have also put a smile on my face with her strength and perseverance. I quote her below from a recent post she shared:
“When life give you lemons, make lemonade. How convenient. I understand the real message of this statement is making something delightful out of something that is perhaps sour. Well, sometimes life doesn’t give us what we need to make what we want. Sometimes we have to make something out of something we weren’t expecting, into something we never really wanted to begin with. Did I ever want to live life without my husband? Heck no. Life has given me loss, grief and pain. What do you make out of those things? Only negative things come to mind. So somehow, I need to make somethings out of loss, grief, and pain, that isn’t natural. I need to make something that is worth living for”.
“This morning my mom was making chocolate chip cookies with my son. Without notice, he threw his blueberries into the mix. Did they throw it out? No. Did she scold him for ‘ruining the mix’? No. They baked them and guess what, we ate them. Was it what we had planned on making? No. Were they different? Yes. We enjoyed them all the same”.
“When life gives you blueberries, make chocolate chip cookies”.
This beautiful friend of mine has been through hell, and yet she is finding new joy each day. She is learning to smile through the tears and embrace life in a new manner.
I envisioned a summer of roller coasters and water slides, trips to the beach and amusement parks, Mickey Mouse and ice cream with everything in between. Instead I was stopped in my tracks for a spell to sit, watch and learn from these beautiful, powerful, amazing women who are walking a journey much harder than mine.
So eat ice cream for breakfast and make chocolate chip cookies with blueberries. Smile through the pain and find your joy. Wether your journey is an easy hill or a rocky road, how you choose to embrace it makes all the difference. I’m ditching lemons and trading them for chocolate chip cookies laced with blueberries!
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