My daughter is rollerblading around the kitchen island with helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, and a juice box in hand! Dressed in a cotton rainbow dress with pink leggings, I couldn't add more color to her if I tried. I'm smiling at her ability to love life.
My friend, Tree, a mosaic artist, gave me a card that she created with a quote by Anne Frank, "Think of all the beauty that's still left in and around you, and be happy."
Tree's artwork is one of those things that brings happiness. I love how she can take broken pieces of glass and make a masterpiece. I love how she can see the beauty inside the mess and bring it back to life. If you need something carefree to do today, visit her website at www.TCmosaics.com.
As my book circulates into the hands of many young widows, my heart hurts for the life inside of them that seems to have ended. Unfortunately, I understand their shattered hearts, similar to the broken glass waiting to be formed back into a mosaic vase or picture frame. I often feel helpless, not knowing exactly what will provide hope.
One widow wrote last week, "I feel trapped in my own life. I just want to go away and not have to deal with any of this. I don't feel like being a parent. I don't want to deal with temper tantrums. I want to have my own instead. I know there is nothing anyone can say to make this any better. I just need to rant to someone. I am completely done."
All I know is there is beauty still left inside of us and around us. I also know that there are times in our lives where we will find it very difficult to believe there is any beauty or see any beauty. On those challenging days, my hope is to find at least one thing that is beautiful, one reason to love life.
Today I'm in love with a little girl rollerblading around in a rainbow outfit. This is the same girl that with her brother this morning found a baby bird in our front yard and asked me to "Google how to take care of baby birds that fall out of a tree and lose their mommy." I was not expecting my five-year old to use the word "Google" in a sentence. I am now on a mission to figure out how to care for an orphan baby bird.
We made a temporary nest in a disposable Glad Tupperware container and have been feeding the bird ground bird-seed and water. And just like with everything else in Maddi's life, she is able to find the beauty that is still left and be happy. She is convinced that we can help this little creature. Maybe we can. We will at least try. This is our one reason to love life today because we can see that life is precious and fragile. And sometimes life needs our extra tender care.
Jordan named the bird, "Peep." Watch Monday for an update on Peep's progress.
