The Blessing in The Curse

It has been a while since I have sat down with my trusty computer to share my heart. It seems like every day starts early and is filled with much to do. Being this close to the holiday season we are merely two weeks away from nonstop activity. I keep stopping myself from panic and reminding myself that everything that is important will be done. I am just one person with 24 hours in my day. 

In the midst of busyness I am worrying about my children and all the things that affect them each day. One (adult) child just started a new job and I hope and pray every day that she is well and happy and successful. My middle daughter is in her transition phase of college and has started applying for internships. I have hopes that she will find a place that will inspire her and propel her into a lifelong work adventure. My youngest daughter just started her first year of college and she has been burdened with a mystery illness since we dropped her at school. There have been many rounds of doctor visits and blood tests and now we are going to try a specialist. Throughout this difficult time she has continued with school.  I am amazed everyday at how hard she works to maintain her high standards of study while struggling with an endless list of physical challenges. The answers do not seem to come fast enough when you need them the most.

On a recent trip to take my youngest daughter to another appointment I stayed with my sister who lives about a half hour from my girl’s school. It was a good time to catch up with her and also offered me some support as I worry and wonder endlessly about what could possibly be wrong. Staying with my sister always leads to long talks about life and family and this visit was no different. We talked about how recent family struggles had brought us closer together and how fortunate we were to have each other to lean on. It came to me as we talked that we had found the blessing in the curse. While we worked side by side to make our way through a tough time in our life, dealing with the deaths of our parents and handling their estate issues we had become good friends. We built a trust that still stands strong and a friendship the likes of which we had never had before.

I believe that finding that blessing was like adding a strong foundation and building upon it.  I look deep into every struggle mining for a blessing. While I fuss and worry about cleaning and preparing for a house full of family at Thanksgiving I can see how blessed I am to have a family to share thanks with. During this difficult time of wonder and worry over my daughters health I am able to talk with her when she needs me and go with her to the appointments she has to support her. I am blessed that I have the freedom to be there for her.  By looking past the perceived curse I am finding the hidden jewels of blessing.

While we cannot stop life from throwing us a curve ball here and there, we can be thankful for seeing the blessing as the ball whisks by. Many times it takes time to see the blessing. You may even be days, weeks, months or even years on the other side of the curse, but one day it hits you that there was a moment when the blessing peeked out and turned your heart.