Staying Engaged

My newest revelation is: everyone knows pain; not everyone knows love. We live in a fallen world, so we all face pain, hardship, sorrow, difficulty - its a common thread throughout humanity, but we do NOT all know love, happiness, joy in the midst of that pain. Its funny how the phrase "it's only a season" works two ways. There are many days that reminding myself, "it is what it is (Andrea Haines' famous line)..... and it won't last forever" have helped me through the rough spots. But more often than that, remembering while there ARE really rough moments, there are equally as may beautiful moments, most of which I would miss if I just "checked out" and closed my eyes hoping for the "season" to pass. I don't want to miss this season. There is a country song (sorry for those greatly opposed to it) <> that says "..... I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance...." I'm grateful to know love. I'm grateful to get the chance to experience motherhood, being a soulmate and clinging to the Lord, even when it's hard.