By: Martianne Stanger
This summer has not been the summer I thought it would be for my children and me. Both my son and I have contracted Lyme’s disease and had to suffer through the side affects of the strong medications prescribed for that. Our family has also had plans changed by broken water pipes, a konked out clothes dryer, necessary car repairs, high fevers, a relative being quite ill, and… well, life!
Indeed, this summer has been one of those summers that makes me think of a quote I had taped to my desk in college: Life is what happens when you’re making other plans.
If nothing else, life is that – unplanned obstacles and challenges hitting us all the time. Yet, life is also something more. It is what we make of it as the unexpected unfolds.
It is not all sickness, brokenness, and challenge. It is together time, hope, and opportunity.
It is rainbows chased…
…new things tried…
…stories snuggled up for…
…triumphs shared…
…quiet moments relished…
…silliness captured…
…waning hours enjoyed…
…waters navigated…
…faith shared…
…obstacles climbed…
…new trails explored…
…delight captured…
…challenges met…
…beauty built…
…pastimes partaken in…
…paths ridden together…
…tradition savored…
…time spent together….
It is pausing for a weekend, a day, an afternoon, a moment… to give thanks for the beauty interwoven in the busyness… to recognize the miraculous among the mundane… to relish the glorious between the will-we-ever-get-through-this…
It is the choice to focus on what is right, good, and beautiful. It is life – planned and unplanned – and oh such a gift!
Community Voices for Health 
This post was so sweet, it made me tear up. You always put a positive spin on things Martianne 🙂