photo by Christina Brennan Lee in Broad Bay, NZ
She
stood in the storm
and when
the wind
did not
blow her way,
she
adjusted her sails.
~ Elizabeth Edwards*
It's so easy and comfortably trite to say "When life hands
you lemons, make lemonade." It's a kindly thought and there's a limited
amount of folksy wisdom in it. But, Lord of the Wind and Sea of Life, sometimes
life hands out orchards of difficulty, grief, and anguish. Yet even in the
midst of all of that, there are happy moments, satisfying times, and there is also bless-ed ordinary.
I don't compare my stuff with anyone else's. I recognize and empathize with the trials and tragedies of others and even when the events are seemingly mirrored, no one’s experience is ever the same as another’s. And while I'm certain that I'm entitled to my fair share of wails, whines, and whimpers it’s only for a time and not for a lifetime of self-indulgence. Life is precious and those who have gone before me would want me to use it well and with joy in memory and as I can look for it in each day as it comes.
I don't compare my stuff with anyone else's. I recognize and empathize with the trials and tragedies of others and even when the events are seemingly mirrored, no one’s experience is ever the same as another’s. And while I'm certain that I'm entitled to my fair share of wails, whines, and whimpers it’s only for a time and not for a lifetime of self-indulgence. Life is precious and those who have gone before me would want me to use it well and with joy in memory and as I can look for it in each day as it comes.
And when it is time to move forward,
please Lord, do not let me stall, becalmed by grief, procrastination, or
inertia. Point me in the right direction, the one that leads to You; and, if I
cannot sail through the rest of my life without more stormy seas or the occasional
eddy throwing me off course, help me then to adjust my sails again, as I have
done so many times before, tacking or jibing as needed to catch the right wind that carries me onward.
amen.
*Elizabeth Edwards [1949-2010], an American Attorney, Health Care Activist, and
best-selling author was married to John Edwards, a US Senator with unsuccessful
campaigns for US Vice-President and later President. Ms. Edwards dealt well
publicly with her husband's rise to prominence and then notoriety after his
much publicized affair that resulted in an illegitimate child, at the same time, Elizabeth was also coping with the breast cancer that ultimately ended her life.
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