Suffering and Blessings

As I type this, I am already having doubts on the likelihood of actually posting this blog. After all, this blog represents the happiness and joy that makes up our family. To post a blog of sadness or confusion just doesn't seem appropriate, almost like it would diminish the happiness normally reflected. Or...maybe a blog of our less happy moments will only accentuate the positive blessings. After all, we are a family through good times and bad.

It seems like everywhere we look lately, someone is suffering. Earthquake in New Zealand, riots in Libya, gas prices at record highs, the list goes on and on as these were just the first few headlines on the news feed. Our friends, family and ourselves are suffering in ways that I don't remember seeing coincide before. Everyone seems to be hurting in some way...at the same time.

My husband raised the question tonight if life has always been this way, and if we are more sensitive to it as our own suffering has increased. I admit, he got me thinking. Tonight, I laid in bed for over an hour with my mind racing. Thinking of blessings, suffering and how the two are related. I don't yet have an answer on that, but I do know that I refuse to let the sadness and confusion of this world continue to overwhelm or steal my happiness that I have been blessed with. I am God's child and I have faith that he will never give me or my loved ones anything to hurt us, but only make us stronger, somehow better people.

I love the following quote as it reminds me that amidst the pain, confusion and suffering of this world, blessings are continuing to flow. Abundant, perfect and unexpected blessings. And, I will continue to celebrate this family's blessings...past, present and future ones as well.

“When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place” ~ C.S. Lewis quote