Two women looked through prison bars;

one saw mud, the other saw stars.

I read that little poem once and it stuck with me. I’ve been both women before; sometimes alternating between the two at the same time. I want to see the stars and keep a happy perspective on things, but often the mud is not just on the ground- circumstances crowd in until it feels like I did one of those crazy 5K runs through a mud bog.

Lately I’m consoling myself with, “At least we’re all healthy.”

Until this evening when one of my girls crept into the kitchen with a headache and let me know she wasn’t feeling well.

Oh yeah, then there’s Sofia. She slammed her fingers in the car door a couple days ago and I’m guessing we may need to puncture her nail soon to relieve the pressure of swelling. Yikes!

I’m realizing life is full of unexpected joys and irritations. If it’s not one thing it’s another – but any author will tell you no story is good without a protagonist of some sort. If there is nothing to overcome, you’ve lost the plot. Boring! Every good story has a bit of struggle in it – or a lot – depending what you’re into.

It’s just way more fun to watch someone else’s struggle and triumph neatly packaged into a couple hours of cinematic bliss (with an awesome soundtrack of course.)

So.

Life delivers lemons on a regular basis and I (we) get to decide what to do with them. If I saw who delivered the lemons I’d definitely pelt them until they reeked of it, but since circumstances don’t often show up in trousers I have to settle for other solutions:

Lemon Icebox Pie.

Lemon curd.

Lemon bars.

Lemon frosted raspberry scones.

With tea, for good measure.

You know, gratitude.

Asking Jesus for Help! even if the other words won’t come.

Stress relieving measures like breathing deep and exhaling more air than you took in.

Heck, a good imagination works wonders too. I went to the laundromat this last weekend and as I scanned the machines I laughed to myself; “These look like slot machines!” My next thought: “I’m gambling that these clothes are going to come out clean!”

I was right. (Of course.)

I guess I’m saying we can’t really control what happens to us or around us, but we have complete control in how we respond to those things. And how we respond to those things ultimately determines what kind of person we become- it shapes our character. Bitter or better, angry or forgiving, stingy or generous, complaining or grateful. Every small internal choice builds itself like a brick wall until our character is cemented through a lifetime of intentional choices.

So here’s to the ones with lemon orchards and unbidden deliveries of fruit: I see you. Take heart.

Trouble won’t last always.

Originally shared August 28, 2019