Graduation

My heart is so full following graduation/Mother’s Day weekend. Milestones like this are always a mixed bag of emotions ... happiness abounds, and grief walks alongside you. We celebrate and reflect.

One of the songs from that summer of 2015 is by singer/songwriter Kasey Musgraves. It’s called Silver Lining. It has been on a loop in my mind over the weekend. When you’re in pain and you hurt, you want to recoil. I did. But what all I would be missing if we hadn’t given our hearts a chance to “stand in the rain?”

Raising children is not for the faint of heart. Blended families come with its share of land mines. Grief is an unpredictable, ingrained emotion. But, oh the sweet joy when the silver lining bursts forth and you see your children’s smiles, hear their laughter, and witness their friendship with each other.

Looking at these photos this morning as we go back to our routines makes me realize God doesn’t waste our pain, our disappointments, and he can make such beautiful artifacts out of shattered pieces of our lives if we just let Him.

...Cause if you're ever gonna find a four leaf clover
You gotta get a little dirt on your hands
You gotta get a little dirt on your hands
If you wanna find a head to fit your shoulder
You're gonna have to go to the dance
Gonna have to go to the dance
If you wanna find the honey,
You can't be scared of bees
And if you wanna see the forest,
You're gonna have to look past the trees
If you're ever gonna find a silver lining
It's gotta be a cloudy day,
It's gotta be a cloudy day
And if you wanna fill your bottle up with lightning,
You're gonna have to stand in the rain,
Gonna have to stand in the rain.