Seeing Stars

My friend Liza recently asked me how I’m doing. We haven’t talked in several weeks, and so she wasn’t just looking for a one-word answer. She was looking for an update. My answer went something like this:

I’m doing really well. I’ve had two deaths in my family so far this year. I’ve currently got two family members in the hospital. And one of my best friends has been diagnosed with stage four cancer. But I’m doing really well!

I looked back at my answer and thought, “She’s going to think I’m being sarcastic. Or that I’ve lost my mind.” But no, the truth is that even though there are some really heavy things going on in my life, I’m not doing too badly. As I told Liza, I’ve been given some new coping mechanisms, and now, I’m getting lots of opportunities to practice them. (I’m laughing as I write because it’s true.)

When I moved to Portland, I had to learn to live with a lot more rain than I’d had to live with before. But I learned within just a few months that even though Portland has more rain, it also has more rainbows. And the more trials I face, the more I learn to appreciate the beauty in them.

In this week’s chapter of Fight Back With Joy, Margaret Feinberg says, “Mirth has a magical way of poking holes in the darkness until we see stars.”

And just because the timing seems right, I’d like to say THANK YOU to some of you who have brought mirth into my darkness to help me see the stars. I’m so blessed.

This post is part of a weekly book discussion. You don’t have to read the book to stick around and chat! If you have written a response to this week’s chapter, please link it up at the widget below, then go visit my co-facilitator, Jason!