Finding The Light!

Montauk Point Lighthouse - Montauk, New York

May 13, 2013

Last week was not a good week!  It did not begin well, but in light of the way it ended, the irritations that occurred at the beginning were quickly forgotten and totally insignificant.  Valuable lessons learned although being the frail humans that we are, we'll forget again!  

Wednesday evening at choir practice, I joked with my hiking bud about his being afraid he might have to miss his annual hiking trip to Mt LeConte because the much-anticipated birth of granchild number two happened to coincide with those very dates.  Little did he, his wife (also a close friend), or me know that about 4 1/2 hours later that same grandbaby would be delivered almost three months premature by emergency surgery and weigh in right at 2 pounds.  Life stands still.  I don't know what you do, but I pray for strength for them, for that sweet baby, his mom, dad, big brother and mostly, that I'll know how to be a friend.  Baby has stabalized (as much as a 2 pounder can), but mom is still having some problems.  

In the same hospital where mom and baby rest, I spent Sunday afternoon on another floor waiting with family and friends of one of Bill's colleagues and good friend of ours, while she made painful decisions regarding the life of her partner of many years.  The result of a horrific fall down a staircase inside a home they were visiting left that precious life unresponsive.  We love both of these people.  This level of pain is absolutely incomprehensible to me.   As we were driving home, I said to Bill, "we are driving home just like we always do, those people are walking into the restaurant we were passing just like they always do, but our friend's life will never be the same."  

I have strong hope, a deep faith and an unwavering belief that this life is not all there is and so do all the people about whom I've written in this post.  For me, finding the light is all about remembering what is important and what is not. New life begins at a totally unexpected time while we mourn a life that leaves us at a totally unexpected time.  Neither family would say they were "ready."  Life is not predictable - we'd all do well to remind ourselves of that every day and act accordingly!

In whatever way you do this, please hold both of these families in your thoughts and prayers!

It's a long and very winding road ahead of them!

Our journey to healthy eating is an important part of our life and we write here for encouragement and support.  I've found so much more than that in these last three years.  And never has that been more evident than when I sat down to write these words.  Obviously, it's not at all what I'd planned to write about today.  I debated not writing at all, but found that I wanted to share these things with you because you are my friends.   And I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart.