Can something good come from every challenge?

It has been quite a winter, not just for us Minnesota hardy folks who are used to it, but it seems throughout the United States.  My mother claims this is all the fault of global warming.  She is certain the world going to hell in a hand basket and the harsh weather is a warning for us.  Maybe it is because I don't have to get up every morning, get ready and drive to work, but I honestly haven't minded the winter yet.  Usually by this time I am desperate to find a warm place to escape to.  This year I am finding I notice the beauty of winter more, rather than being frustrated by its side effects like ice covered roads or wind chills that steal your breath away.  It does seem to me that the snowfalls are more beautiful than ever, as evidenced by the picture above.

It reminds me that behind any given challenge, there is something to be valued, appreciated and learned. The past few years and perhaps my age have taught me that going through difficulties doesn't have to mean we either fight or surrender.  Rather I think if we dedicate some time to figuring out what the thing we are dealing with might be trying to show us and realize that it isn't life just picking on us, nor is it the end of the world but perhaps the threshold to something new and wonderful, we might discover that troubles are opportunities to grow up and do it better next time around.  Granted it isn't that easy when one is in the midst of big troubles and sometimes the fight or flight instinct just takes over.  What I have discovered though is that neither of those are very productive options, unless we take the time to understand what happened, what we might have done to bring on the trouble or simply understand what we are supposed to learn from the series of unfortunate events.  I know I will continue to make mistakes and face challenges.  My hope is that I approach them with a new attitude.  Seek the good that comes from it, even if it isn't entirely clear in the moment.  Trust that there is something at work in me that will help me to become a more whole, open-hearted human being.  That is afterall the point of the journey I think.

Time waits for no one

Today I was reminded how quickly our lives pass by and how things that happened years ago that caused me stress and worry now seem like minor annoyances.  They say if only you could know then what you know now....  I remember telling my kids that the concerns of a kid in high school are quickly forgotten once high school is behind you.  Who is popular, what clothes people wear, who said what to who about who, the first heart break, the party you weren't invited to, etc. etc.  None of that will mean much after high school and so it shouldn't make or break you.  It can teach you how to be resilient, how to forgive and move on, how to ensure you can identify true friends over those who need you for a moment and then forget you. 

Looking back as I have been, I recognize that many of the things I fretted about didn't really have a lasting impact on my life and yet there are things I shoved aside that did have a larger influence on who I am today.  It isn't easy to go back to those things especially when I feel peace and contentment now and don't feel the need.  But I can see that before I can move on with my next chapter, I need to tidy up things from the past a bit.  It isn't nearly as frightening or hard as one might think.  I feel a little like I have a white board and slowly I am erasing or cleaning up a bunch of erratic marks and the important things that define me now are beginning to become clearer.

I watched my daughter today as she worked with her kids in her new daycare.  First I am astounded by the woman she has become.  Not that I didn't think she would, but I am a little surprised at how quickly her childhood went by and now here she is a mother herself, taking care of other people's precious gifts.  I feel such pride in my kids.  Even though they are still in that difficult stage of life beginning their families, figuring out what they are good at, juggling financial concerns, I am proud of how they just put their heads down and plow forward trying to do better with each passing year. By far the greatest blessings in my life are my kids and now my grand kids.  I vow each time I see my grand kids that I will cherish each period in their life and be there present to notice everything, to play with them and make sure I give them the best I have to offer.

I read something the other day that said there are no do overs in life and that I am the story teller of my own life.    I can create the legend...or not.  I want to live a legacy, be a legend in my own right.  I better hurry though because I know how fast the first 55 years went.  I can only imagine how quickly the next chapter will pass.