ARCHIVE LIBRARY

M is for MESSES

by Pauline Reneaux

     With fall upon us, whether the temperature is ready or not, we often find the piles of falling leaves can resemble the piles of different responsibilities we all must bear. It is fun when you get to dance and play as a child in the piles of colorful obstacles that nature provides, but when we become adults and life gives us piles of messes that we are left to jump around and clean up, the joy is not the same and more often than not, nonexistent. As I work on this season of fall and change in my own life, I am greeted by this little sign each morning that can serve as a wonderful reminder for us all.

“Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful”

     Sometimes we can be so busy preparing for the next season in our lives that we forget to stop and breathe in the fragrance left by the beauty of the moment. I have found in the middle of life’s messes, laughter in the midst of tears; warmth from friends, family, and nurses who were once strangers, but who have now become friends for life; and community through the support given to my family. In the middle of life’s messes, we can either let the circumstances overwhelm us as we work on raking them into organized piles, or we can stop and look for the beauty in the moment. As children we didn’t worry about the mess as we danced among the leaves. As adults, maybe we need to set our rakes down and dance among the leaves more often.

     In today’s world, everyone is so busy trying to live up to the image they have created in social media that they have lost touch with reality and brought even more stress upon their lives. No one, no one, no one’s life is perfect. In every situation, no matter how dire the circumstances, there is always a message to be found in the mess. It may take some time to discover what that message is, but don’t let yourself become so busy with trying to rush past one season in life, trying to get to the next season, that you miss the beauty that is right in front of you. Stores do that for us now. We can’t enjoy fall because Christmas, Mardi Gras and Easter all seem to come on the shelves at the same time, with Thanksgiving often being an afterthought, the one holiday that we so desperately need. For in the messes of life there are miracles and beauty all around us, we just have to take a moment and allow ourselves to recognize and embrace it.

Until next month…
Blessings, Pauline

 

To learn more about Pauline Reneaux, visit her blog at Pauline-Reneaux.com. She welcomes email at paulinereneauxwrite@gmail.com

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