Life Struggles

O thou child of many prayers! Life hath quicksands; life hath snares!

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I am thinking of my girls tonight.  Each of them are growing into adulthood in their own way.  They are learning that it isn't as glamorous as it might have seemed.  They are learing that life has detours, obstacles, pitfalls, snares.  They are learning that sometimes disappointments and frustrations seem more the rule than the exception.  They feel alone at times, scared, uncertain.  There are decisions to be made, problems to be solved, opportunities to be taken and paths to be left alone.  There are diamonds that sparkle...but turn out to be fake, and diamonds in the rough that need their polish to shine.  It is all so confusing.  It's hard to make sense of it all.

As a mom, I just want to scoop them up and hold them tight and make it all go away.....those moments of uncertainty, of sadness.  As I tried to lift Cara's spirits recently, she said " You're not making me feel any better."  Sadly, I am not able to hug and kiss away all of life's dark moments anymore.  And sometimes, as they will both learn, it is only time and experience and their own resolve that can do that.

I hope they will be able to reflect on the events of their days, their lives and see it as it is....one moment, even though at times it seems so much more profound.  I hope they will give it time, mourn over the sadness that creeps in and then move on.  I hope they will have the strength to put one foot in front of the other, to dust themselves off and get right back up again.  I hope they will have the resolve to always find another solution and not let life's stumbling blocks get the best of them.  I hope they will live life, and rejoice over the good and not just see the bad.

Life is beautiful, but it can also be scary and ugly.  I hope they always choose to look toward the light and turn their back on the darkness.


“My Dear Son,
I am so very proud of you. Now, as you embark on a new journey, I'd like to share this one piece of advice. Always, always remember that - adversity is not a detour. It is part of the path.

You will encounter obstacles. You will make mistakes. Be grateful for both. Your obstacles and mistakes will be your greatest teachers. And the only way to not make mistakes in this life is to do nothing, which is the biggest mistake of all.

Your challenges, if you let them, will become your greatest allies. Mountains can crush or raise you, depending on which side of the mountain you choose to stand on. All history bears out that the great, those who have changed the world, have all suffered great challenges. And, more times than not it's precisely those challenges that, in God's time, lead to triumph.

Abhor victimhood. Denounce entitlement. Neither are gifts, rather cages to damn the soul. Everyone who has walked this earth is a victim of injustice. Everyone.

Most of all, do not be too quick to denounce your sufferings. The difficult road you are called to walk may, in fact be your only path to success.”
― Richard Paul Evans