The Changes Of Life

Today has been a very Emotional Day.

In general, I tend to be very even-keel and jovial.

One of the reasons I tend to get along well with people is because I know how to make people smile and remind them what it is to be human.

But for me today, jovial and even keel are not really how I feel.

For me, today is a bittersweet day.

It is the birthday of one of my best friends, Scott, who passed away a few years ago from cancer.

Happy Birthday, Brother - You are Loved.

I often keep his Memory and his Love close at heart.

He is one of the Kindest, most Sincere, and most Faithful people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

The days continue forward though, time moves second by second whether we want it to or not.

Today my spouse and I have also been doing some cleaning.

I found a note from the beginning of 2022 about what I wanted to Accomplish between then and the end of 2023.

If you think I'm an Ambitious person today, you should have seen the list that I put together then - I found myself today thinking it was a bit overly Ambitious!

That is coming from someone who is currently writing their 400th Straight Daily Article right now!

Going through these items I have accumulated, the goals that have been set (some yet to be achieved), and thinking about Scott... I find myself deep in Reflection.

It is fascinating to see how things move in Time.

How some things we believe will last Forever, even when we Know how the World works.

How we think we can Accomplish so much.

How we end up Accomplishing completely different things altogether.

The Struggles and Triumphs.

The Pains and Joys.

In Reflection, they all come Flooding through.

It is like a Tsunami that crashes harder than you can Imagine.

In other ways, it is like the Rainbow casting itself through the air, as the Wildlife returns to Welcome New Beautiful Weather.

These Emotions are Clashing inside of me, like a War where it feels there will be no Victor.

Would I have it any other way though?

Absolutely not.

All of these Emotions, though many are Difficult and Intense to Feel, have a Beauty to them.

Yes, one of my Dearest Friends passed away and we aren't able to Celebrate it together in person.

But I wouldn't trade my memories with him for anything and I welcome all of those Emotions back.

Hanging out on the Mountains, late-night conversations at Village Inn, Theological conversations, and Fears about life.

That last day I was blessed to hold his hand and talk about all of those times.

I will stand in that Tsunami.

Yes, I have not reached all of the Goals I have set for myself.

The ones I have reached have been Amazing.

The surprise Achievements along the way are Great.

Though there are many Goals I have utterly Failed to Achieve.

Some due to Changes that have occurred in Situations due to timing.

Some due to Injury and Pain.

Others that I have simply Struggled with finding the right Path to make them work.

I will stand in that Tsunami as well.

Why?

The Beauty in Life is best Understood through the Struggle.

The Harder you fall, the more Sweet the Victories.

I know what it feels like to strive toward the Goal, only to have someone who is literally twice your size pummel you into the hard ground - I played NCAA D3 Lacrosse, and it happened to me many times.

When the ball goes into the net, you don't feel the Pain... well mostly anyways.

The Pain doesn't "literally" disappear, but the context makes you look past the immediate Pain to see the Larger Picture.

Yes, there are these Wars of Emotions that we feel within us, especially in Reflection, but it is the Clash of these Emotions that Creates Art.

These Aspects of our Lives become the Canvas upon which we make our Masterpiece.

Those Difficult Aspects in the Reflection only make that Masterpiece more Awe-Inspiring!

Yes, I Reflect today, on Both the Wonderful and the Horrible.

It all goes into making me who I am, and who I continue to strive to become.

We take what is given.

We turn it into a Masterpiece.