Let’s be honest about our feelings. It’s really hard to love someone who doesn’t act like they love or care about you. We all had a vision of what our family would be like. It sure wasn’t like this. We never dreamed that our sweet adorable children would grow up to be drug addicts, to lie, to steal from their own family or to live homeless on the streets. This wasn’t any of our dreams but it is our reality.

A reality that we didn’t choose. A reality that hurts us deeply. A reality that we don’t have the power to change. A reality that we could lose the ones we love and there is nothing we can do about it.  A reality that life is so precious and so easily tossed aside. A reality that we wouldn’t wish on anyone. But here we are and there is nothing we can do to change it. The tears flow, we can beg, we can bribe, we can prayer and we can also seek the support of others just like us. Others who can understand the reality we live in because they live there too. That is what we need to survive. We need a way to express ourselves, to let out our pain, our hurt, our anger and to know that we are understood.

I choose to write this blog as an outlet for me and to help others know that they are not alone. I’m getting ready to start sewing blankets for the 2 new grandchildren I’ll have this fall – it’s about all I can sew, straight lines. But I have to involve myself in something other then pain and heartache. My biggest outlet is my photography. I can get lost in a moment or place seeing all the little details, light, color and joy around me when I have my camera. I can lose track of time and be at peace. We all need something that can give us that peace. Where is your outlet? What do you do to bring peace into the chaotic lives we have? We all have something. Have you found your “something”? Sometimes we get so caught up in the chaos that our lives have become that we forget those things that make us happy, that give us a little escape. We all need to find them. Gardening, painting, writing, singing, hiking, walking, playing a game, swimming, visiting friends, baking, cooking, reading, learning a new language, dancing, playing the piano, the guitar or maybe learning how. There are so many things that we forget are there, things that can bring a little joy and happiness back into our lives. We need to find our “something” or maybe several “somethings” because we deserve to make ourselves happy in the midst of the chaos. We deserve to add Joy to our reality. We just deserve to change our reality even if it’s only for a short time.

So go out there and add some joy! Be happy with your “Something”. I’d love to hear how you bring happiness into your lives. Please comment so we can all see and get ideas. After all we are all in this together!

A Message of Hope