July: On Family

July 7

For all the moments playing outside in the grass at a family get together—the sun glinting off each drop of water from the sprinkler, the high-pitched yells and laughs of children being children, those quiet moments sitting at a table, working on a puzzle with tea and hot chocolate, or reading a book in bed next to your partner, knowing in that moment you are safe and your only obligation is to exist—for all of these, there are moments of pain—either awaiting you or happening to someone else—loss, anger, grief. 

It’s foolish to believe you’ll be spared any of it. For joy to exist on one side of the coin, pain must exist on the other. What you get is just a matter of the toss.

So when you are with them, tell those you cherish that you love them, for soon . . . they, or you . . . will be gone.

• Reflection title: You’re Nobody’s Fool
• Creative inspiration:  Eastin DeVerna, Lux: From the Kingdom of Darkness
• Reflection Question: Have I ever laughed so hard I cried? Am I taking the bad with the good—understanding both are a part of life—and telling my family I love them every chance I get while I’m still here?