Mama Always Said Life is Like a Box of Chocolates
There aren’t many of us who don’t remember this statement from the movie Forrest Gump. Forrest gave new meaning to a box of chocolates.
While I savor a good chocolate, I try my best not to keep boxes of chocolate near me. I would eat the whole thing without realizing it, and would discover all of it went straight to my – already well endowed – hips.
You’ve gotta love that statement from Forrest, though. Like he says, ” you never know what you’re gonna get.”
Yes, life can be good and it can just as equally be full of challenges. We all have them…the good times and the bad.
So how do you handle life when it throws you a curve?
An old friend stopped by yesterday evening. He and his wife have two beautiful children. We had sung together on a music ministry team for years but it had been awhile since I’d seen him or his family.
Looking at them from the outside, you see a perfect family.
Interesting thing about these folks, though, is that they have had guests in their home much of the past two years that could have been a challenge for any of us.
First, her parents sold their home in a town two hours away and moved in with this family while they were building their own home locally. Months later the house was ready and they moved in, only to discover that the husband had a rapid disease that killed him less than two months after they moved.
I had met and spent some time with those parents. He was a retired minister. He and his wife had served others for years as a team. It was a shame that they wouldn’t be able to share their new home together any longer.
But there are blessings in all this.
My friend said “You know. It was wonderful for them to be with us during those months of transition. My children got to really know and love them even more than they already did. They were involved with us in events surrounding the grandchildren and family. It was a good time.”
Recently, my friend’s own parents moved in with them while they transitioned from one home to another. They are just as glad to have that time with them at their home as well.
Would you welcome your parents into your home like this family has?
I didn’t expect that I would hear this family embraced their parents for a long stay at their home, but I am not surprised. They are two loving and caring adults who seem to have a good relationship, thrive in a loving environment, and obviously had a strong and healthy family base with their loved ones.
I have another set of friends that have just taken her ailing mother in to stay with them. There are a multitude of brothers and sisters who could help, but she and her husband seem to be the only ones willing to have her mother with them for the long term.
While they love her mother, it is a struggle to have her there all the time. She must have constant care. However, she strongly believes she is doing the right thing and is loving her through her mother’s old age.
Yes, life IS like a box of cherries and you really don’t know what you will get. The way you handle it is an example for others, and believe, me – people are watching.
My wish for you today is that you have the chance to see others making sacrifices for the ones they love and that you support them through that journey. A positive attitude is a shining example for all of us….no matter what life hands us. Often, it can be a blessing in disguise. If you are the caregiver or offer your home to loved ones in transition, my wish for you today is that you find the silver lining in that encounter and that you have the strength, patience and endurance to manage it effectively.
~Joellen