When Life Gives You Lemons

We are all given "lemons" in life.  We all struggle with something.  Some have more struggles (lemons) than others.  Some have struggles that no one else can see.  Sometimes we have struggles that others refuse to even acknowledge.  They come in all sorts of ways, physical, financial, mental, familial, etc.  We can also have more struggles at certain times then at other times.  You might have 5 lemons you are currently dealing with, while someone else might have just 1 or 2.  No matter the shape, size or timing we all are given lemons.

We can all choose what to do with these lemons.  We can carry them around and hold resentment for the fact that they are ours to bear.  Some might choose to take the burden on by themselves, trying to eat the lemon no matter how much their face might pucker.  Still others might try to rid themselves of their lemons by trying to blame others, or even getting revenge.  

How are we suppose to turn them into lemonade when it can be so heavy just to have them in the first place?  

We add sugar!

When we add sugar to our lemons they become bearable, even desirable.  If lemons are a metaphor for our burdens and problems, then what is the sugar suppose to represent?  How do we make hard things ok, and bearable?

What sugar do you add to your life to make it bearable, to make it sweet?  The concept of things that apply to every person on the planet and yet differ from person to person fascinates me.  We all need to eat, but not the same things.  We all need down time, to take care of ourselves but there are myriad ways in which we can accomplish this.  

Some of the things that add sweetness to my life, that make my life bearable are: friends, downtime, my relationship with God, hiking, exercising, reading, writing.

Yes, life gives us lemons, but that doesn't mean it is suppose to be bitter, it doesn't mean we are suppose to hate everything about it.  We can do things to add sweetness and turn our lemons into joy.  What things help sweeten your life?

Variety is the Spice of Life

While I was sitting in church today I was thinking about my husband and children.  How blessed we are to have so many varieties of personalities and likes and dislikes in the world.  I went through each person and thought of what they have brought into my life and into the family.  John has brought a love of board games.  Because of this I have a lot more confidence when it comes to games in general, it has expanded my mind and strengthened my critical thinking.  

Jeremiah has brought a lot of laughter into our home.  That is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of his good qualities.  He also loves Kung Fu.  His love of Kung Fu has increased the amount of physical exercise we all get.  John has been taking Kung Fu for some months now and is doing really well at it and really enjoying it.

Caleb loves nature.  His love of and interest in nature has done a lot of things for our family.  First of all it gets us outside more often, which is good.  Second it has greatly increased out knowledge of the out doors.  We play a game where we have to guess the animal that someone has picked and this not only holds their interest during waiting times, but has taught us a lot about the animal kingdom and about individual animals.

James Henry loves science.  His favorite field seems to be physics (who doesn't love a good bouncy ball and all the reactions that one can create with it).  But he has a general interest in most sciences.  He loved the fireworks he saw on the fourth of July.  He immediately asked when we could buy some and set them off.  Well the next time would be New Years Eve and we have had a reminder up on the calendar ever since.  With his excitement over fireworks we wouldn't have purchased fireworks for New Years Eve and wouldn't have had such an enjoyable time setting off fireworks with friends that night.  The best was seeing his excitement over watching them- he was in heaven!

Families, friends, even acquaintances can all add so much to our lives.  I am grateful for my family and the joy they have brought to my life, but also for the knowledge and exposure to things that otherwise wouldn't have happened.  It is a blessing to have a variety of people in our lives.