Falling Leaves Hope

I have a new perspective on falling leaves. I’m enjoying the warm sun this afternoon while the Bearded One works on his latest project in the driveway. The leaves are falling, and I love seeing the Littles run around the yard. It’s the perfect day to rest. I am always amazed at his talent. Watching him draw a design for a storage box in our dump trailer because the one it came with wasn’t sufficient for his needs. Then he built it entirely by himself in the garage in two days. Now he’s installing it on the trailer and re-wiring the entire thing. He’s amazing and I am often impressed with his ability to create things with his hands, and the number of things he knows how to do seems to be never-ending. 

As I sat in the sun, enjoying his company, I read him some news headlines, and we discussed some of today’s politics, which left me feeling sad. We live in a broken world, and this country I love is heading for disaster if we don’t change. There isn’t a good feeling to be had when you see what is happening to this country unless, like me, you hold your hope and faith in someone bigger than those who run this country.

The leaves are falling off the trees, and the Littles running through the crispy casualties of cooling weather remind me that life is too short of saturating myself with the negativity and ugliness around me.  We’re here for a reason, a purpose and that is what I hold on to every single day.

QUITE A YEAR

We celebrated our first wedding anniversary on October 1st, and by most standards, I would say it was the absolute most challenging year of our lives. We acquired a home we had no intention of owning and had to empty it of the previous owners negligence and plain disrespect. Then the decision of keep it and rent it out, or flip it and sell it was in front of us. With that going on, My mother-in-law had a stroke and died unexpectedly in May. We would consider her a “collector” of many things, and now we have a second house to empty and sell. Both of his parents are gone, just like that and now we had the burden of her house on top of the other house. At the end of the year, I started a new career with a global company which resulted in a lot of traveling, then my boss resigned, leaving me feeling very disconnected from my company and unsure of my future. All the while, we’re newly weds with two young kids going through their own struggles. I know these are normal challenges and people work though them daily. I know there are worse situations. I had a friend tell me, “Nothing is as good as it seems, or as bad as it seems.” We’re very fortunate that through all the challenges we’ve been through, we have the best family and friends who have been here with us through all of it. It’s those relationships that have grown in strength through the last few years because they are what is important.

DAYLIGHT

“It’s amazing what the hard times can reveal. Like who shows ups, who walks away and whose for real.”

I was folding laundry a few months back, and the Bearded One sent me the song “Daylight” by Shinedown. As soon as I heard the lyrics, I cried. I mean, like I ugly cried. Thank God I was the only one awake then; he was already at work for the day. Those lyrics resonated with me. The past few years revealed much about us and showed our character in highly stressful circumstances. We changed our priorities, and as the song ended, it continued, “You make sure I always see the daylight.” That has been our most significant focus. We remember to hold on to the daylight at the end of the tunnel.

While it doesn’t feel like we’re nearing the end of any tunnel in this country, we’ll be okay. It’s hard to watch the news and not be concerned. So much hate, separation and anxiety are spewed all over the place, but that isn’t the way it has to be. When is the last time you genuinely smiled at someone? You’d be amazed at the response you’ll get with doing something as simple and free as genuinely smiling.   

LEAVES

I read something last week that sunk in today as I sit in the yard and the leaves fall. The trees are pretty remarkable. They have roots in place; they grow, bloom, and change. Most importantly, they have zero fear of dropping everything and letting go, yet they bloom again every spring. I want to be more like a tree and not like Dwayne Johnson in “The Game Plan,” but I hope to continue to grow like a mighty oak. Deep roots in faith will keep me steady through the storms of life. The leaves falling is also a sign that winter isn’t far behind. If you’ve ever been down my driveway, you’ll understand why we hate winter in Pittsburgh, but this winter, we’re going to rest and pause after a hectic year. The falling leaves don’t bother me anymore, and I know that no matter how hard the winter or crappy the roads are, life will bloom again in the spring. Hopefully, deeper roots to hold us steady for the next challenge.  Falling leaves hope that this too shall pass. Enjoy your spouse, cherish your children, put your phone away (after you’re finished reading my blog) and connect with your friends and family. Look to the heaven and thank God for the wonders and design for your life, even if its not exactly what you thought it would be.