Joy

I have loved ones who have decided to give up on having another child.  It was a painful, difficult decision, and they are mourning the loss of that dream.

A friend changed his Facebook status from “married” to “single” yesterday.  I’m saddened for the entire family.  Sometimes things break right in front of our eyes, and we don’t even see it. 

Then an email came last night – a family I love dealing with miscarriage.  My heart aches for them, experiencing a pain I understand.   

It still surprises me how things can change.  Our most profound joys can turn to our deepest sorrows.  The train hits us when we didn’t even know it was oncoming.  This is the nature of life.

But, thankfully, there’s more.  The ebb and flow of life inevitably brings us back to happiness in unexpected moments.  An old song comes to mind, “Hold on, my child.  Joy comes in the morning.  The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.”  I don’t know when or how it will happen for these loved ones of mine.  Some wounds take years to heal.  But I trust that my prayers are not in vain and that some comfort will come to them now.  And I believe they will somehow find joy in everyday moments along the way.

I planted flowers in memory of my sister-in-law, Jo, last spring.  They were lovely for a season.  Then in the heat of August, they died out.  But a wonderful surprise greeted me this morning.  They bloomed again – beautiful, pure, perfect – a symbol of hope.  “Joy comes in the morning.”