Life is Full of Ironies

Life is full of ironies, isn’t it? 

The juxtaposition of grief and joy, simultaneously taking place. 

The beauty of birth, often flanked by losing someone.

The holidays being bright and cheery; yet depressing for some.

The season of life where there are grandchildren- full of joy and delight, accompanied by an aging parent in their last days.

We have been feeling some of these lately; so many blessings, yet the grief of David having to find a final home for his mom.

We’ve celebrated birthdays and holidays, all while riding the roller coaster of emotions as we send her back and forth, from hospital to home, to rehab facility, to home, and back all over again.  Now, as we approach Christmas, we will be packing her up and moving her to an assisted living facility to get the care she needs. 

Yet, life goes on and there are celebrations to be had, food to prepare, gifts to give and even a wedding to continue to plan for.  All the while, sifting through someone else’s bank statements and bills, selling a car that will no longer be driven, dealing with our own insurance for the hurricane damage on the house we’ve been trying to sell for the last 6 months, securing another realtor, making sure all the cars get inspected and everyone has enough stuff in their stockings.

Why does life happen like this?

Why do we have seasons where life seems smooth and then all of a sudden, everything happens at once? (Which by the way….life hasn’t been smooth in a while!)

Is it “just life”? Is it growth? Is it God? Is it Satan?

I heard a preacher recently who said that we aren’t to despise the winter months, when everything seems dead or dying, like a tree with no leaves.  But, instead, we are to use those months to dig our roots down deep into the soil and feed off the nutrients way down inside.  These are the months when the Lord is working deep within and even though we may not see the green growth that indicates life, we are being nurtured and prepared for that next season, when everything comes back to life and beauty.

I loved that analogy because I can picture it and I can anticipate it and it feels like I can imagine God working deep within to teach us, stretch us and grow us for the next season.

We’re going to get through this – one event, one day, one accomplishment at a time.

And in the meantime, we will keep celebrating the joys of life, like our sweet kids and our precious babies and all the rest of God’s blessings that keep showing up, even in the midst of chaos.

It’s just one of life’s great ironies – to grieve, yet celebrate, to keep moving even when it all seems uphill and to praise God for the barren season, as you prepare for the growth of the next. 

Until Next Time…..

Blessings!