I have a spot by my kitchen door where I put stuff that’s going to the garage. It might be recyclables, or coupons I want to keep in my car. Or the shopping bags I take with me. Most of the time there might be one or two things in that spot. The bags I just unloaded the groceries from. A few plastic containers to be recycled. But not this day. I went downstairs into the kitchen and saw this.

Our small group was talking about growing through grief and loss.  We spoke of Job, and how his life was changed in an instant.  As we heard his story, my mind went back to my illness in 2011.  Remembering the pain and shame of not sleeping.  The confluence of other circumstances that brought me down…in a big way.  To the point where I could barely work or take care of myself.

I remembered just how much it took to bring me back to life.

“You’re not crazy. You’re sick.  You will get better.  It will take time.  And I will fight this fight with you.”  My Naturopathic Doctor looked me deep in the eyes as she made this promise.

And right there, hope was resurrected.

In my last blog post, I talked about how a crazy, mixed-up day turned into a blessing.  I ended up in Santa Barbara at a perfect little hotel.  I got to see the ocean, boats, and cute shops.  An unexpected blessing, to be sure.

And as much as I appreciated that, I almost missed another one.

I picked up my phone to put it in my purse.  The last thing to pack before I drove to the airport.  Oh…a text message.  From the friend I’m staying with.  Better read it.  Uh oh.  Something happened during the night.  They can’t host me.  So sorry.  Will have to make it another time.  I quickly call the hotel I’m staying at for the rest of my time in Los Angeles.  Can’t check in early.  They’re completely booked.

Now what do I do?

Our family often goes to what was once my grandparents’ farm for weekends and holidays. It’s on an island in Rhode Island and a short drive from the beach.  It’s a great place to go in the summer (except for the traffic).

And when we get there, my mom reminds us, “We’re on Island Time.”

You know the post I wrote about the beauty of freshly-fallen snow?  How it covers everything like a frosting and makes it look like a fairy-land?  Well, a few days later it looked much different.

It looked like a mess.

It was an unexpected surprise.  Snow falling when the prediction was partly cloudy. I watched it meander gently down, as a silent hush fell over the earth.

And my soul quieted as well.

Have you ever had a situation where you chose to do something and thought it was going to be great?  Or fun?  At least enjoyable?  Maybe it was a vacation to a tropical island.  Or you renovated your kitchen.  And then it poured rain every day.  The construction project didn’t go at all as planned.

And you asked yourself, “Are we having fun yet?”