The Sweet in the Bittersweet

 A little thunder. A little rain. Ahhhh the sweetness of springtime. Bittersweet too. Got the phone call last night that a friend from high school lost her battle with cancer hours before... So strange - in my mind, I'm still 25. Now, being 41 is NOT old... but it's a reminder that life is precious. My mother - in her wisdom - said, "You either grow older or you don't... that's just life. It's not fair - but it's life." So for today - I am growing older. Hopefully, a little wiser. A little more caring. A little more compassionate. A little more passionate. A little more loving. I choose to be less worried about laundry, dishes, clean bedrooms, made beds - I want to hold my kids, hug and kiss 'em, meet my husband at the door at the end of his work day with a kiss and a smile. And cherish - oh, to cherish, even the mundane - isn't that where life happens? Life doesn't happen in the extravagant, well-thought out contrivances... it's in the simple breathing in and out, cold cereal for breakfast, teeball games, karate lessons, band concerts, family squabbles, helping with homework, working in the garage, mowing the yard stretches of life... It's in the beauty of the sunrise, the laughter of my children, my love for a happy marriage... thank You, God, for the sweet in the bittersweet, for the sunshine in the rain, for the extra in my ordinary days.