Bad Weather
It was late November. The trees that had been
covered with lovely leaves just a few weeks earlier were now stark, skinny
sticks trying to ride out the Winter to come. The sun had become scarce as
the dark nights lengthened, but today it was totally gone. Gray, gloomy
clouds covered the sky, a cold wind blew, and a chilly rain was falling
steadily. I was driving slowly behind a tractor trailer that was throwing up
huge waves of water on my windshield.
In addition to this storm it seemed like my life
was having a lot of bad weather as well. My clothes dryer had died the day
before and ordering a new one had taken another nasty bite out of my
savings. It was only the latest in a long line of things tearing up, wearing
out, and needing replaced during the last two years. I always had just
enough to keep going but not much more than that.
As I drove along, though, I wasn’t crying or
pouting or worrying. Instead I was singing along to one of my favorite songs
on the radio. I was smiling into the grayness and thanking God for my
family, my life, and all the blessings in it. I was using this latest
problem to remind myself that my real riches weren’t in my bank account but
in my heart and soul. I was finally living the lesson that it had taken me
most of my life to learn: “It doesn’t matter what life gives to you. What
matters is what you give to life.”
Life gives us all good weather and bad. Life gives
us all sunshine and rain. Life gives us all joy and pain. It is up to us,
though, to soak up the sun and let the rain wash away our tears. It is up to
us to use this life to let our love grow deeper, our hearts grow kinder, and
our souls grow stronger. It is up to us to share our love, to give our
kindness, and to shine our light on fair days and foul. May you always do
so. May you always help God to make earth more like Heaven.
By: Joseph J. Mazzella
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