Finding beauty when and where you can

There are times when you simply no longer recognize your life..........It happens slowly sometimes, gradually. You look up and find yourself surrounded and in the mire, you feel stuck. You wonder what happened.

Other times it happens with life events, all of a sudden. Leaving no time to prepare, "to lock and load" against the barrage coming at you.

Right now it seems that everywhere I look.......in the lives of those I hold dear, major adjustments are having to be made. My Aunt is packing up some of my Uncle's things since he has had to go to the nursing home. She is living in a strange land now. The land of dementia......She told me, "He is here, but he's not here. I am grieving him and he is still alive." Tears come easily for her. She is packing his shop, and I am sure all the memories along with it.

She struggles with false guilt. She thinks that because she is a Christian she should be handling it better. But what prepares you for this?

Still she has held onto her humor, her eyes still find the beauty in her life.

She still thanks God for all the time she had with him. She has hope in her Savior.

The joy of the Spirit has not left her.

Because of who she is, she still sees the beauty in each new day. She still has her marvelous sense of humor. She called my Mom and asked on a particularly hot day...."Do you want to lay out?" She and my Mom used to sunbathe until they were black....baking for hours. Now they each have standing appointments at the dermatologist as a result.......Laying out in the sun at 80 years of age is now laughable...

And laugh they did.

One friend has a wayward adult child living at home once again......he has suffered many setbacks and can't seem to get back on track. He has made bad choices, and now this Mom and Dad are being dragged along for the ride. They love him so much it hurts.

There is one thing, one BIG common denominator in all these people's lives........they know Jesus. I refute those studies that say there is no marked difference in the lives of believers and unbelievers, the things they do or don't do. Frankly, they can stick those studies where the sun don't shine. They really make me mad, can you tell? I know better. I have seen it with my own eyes.

In my best friend, my own parents, my Aunt, my dear friend and her husband, and many others.

Since I started in a caretaking role myself, there are so many things I understand now, better than I did before. And I am thankful for that. God saw fit to "learn me a lesson." He does that mostly through other people. My life has changed very much over that past year or so. I am still adjusting.

I hope I can grow to be like the heroes I see around me. Still finding the beauty and not losing my sense of humor. I feel that many times lately I have missed the mark. I have become kind of a grumbler.....but inside where no one can see. But God sees my heart, and He knows I don't want to be a grumbler inside or outside.

Sometimes just finding that quiet place for a few moments is difficult, but necessary. To regroup.

How does your faith help you in your everyday life? Does it make things easier? I welcome any and all thoughts....

All photos taken by me at the Disney Grand Hotel