Melodies of our Home: Pain and Joy.

It has been one of those weeks where your heart is heavy, and when you have to laugh or smile about something, it quickly vanishes, remembering that life for some has been turned upside down...

...broken to pieces, never to be the same, the clouds of sorrow and pain being thrust into their bright sunny, happy day.

Two families, no three, lost children this past week. The one family had to say goodbye to a unborn baby, just 18 weeks along. The other family lost two children, a 7 year old boy and 10 year old young lady, having gone on an afternoon swim to cool off from the beating heat, the lake became the enemy. The following day, a young family enjoying being together at a campground see their only beloved little 2 year old girl crushed under the tire of a vehicle. Such pain, such heartache!!!

How can one smile? Or laugh? How can I feel blessed when the very baby in my womb moves around letting me know he is there, when someone else's womb is empty?
I hug my children tighter, cherishing the moments I still get with them. I want to keep my camera handy, making those memories last, because they are way too numerous to store in my heart.

And I cry...because life can so quickly make you turn onto a road that is hard to travel. So many parents learned that this week. Not only here in Southern Ontario, but in East Toronto, in Colorado.

Then thursday the long awaited day came for our little spunky butterfly that she turned the big 4. The day that our niece would have turned 21, the day that Darrel and Helen layed their little Charity to rest. It was all too bitter sweet. Here we watched our little sunshine share gum and pieces of chocolate she got for her birthday, we heard her say over and over 'cause its my birthday..' we saw her bounce and run, bike and fall, laugh and giggle, and we watched her pitch in with the busy day of harvest, always so ready and willing. It was a hard day, yet a ~somewhat~ happy day.

But today I will rise up and not overwhelm myself with all the sadness around me. Yes, my heart is heavy, but it also wants to dance with joy for that many good things. Dance, because of the precious memories we have and because of the ones we are still making; my heart will dance that because of the pain, you realize how precious life really is, how precious it is to squeeze a warm hand and to see the light in my childrens eyes. Big, Bright and Blue! I will dance and cherish each moment. Who would have known that pain and joy would be so intertwined? That pain and sorrow are weaved into our life to make it more precious, more filled with joy? They go hand in hand. My heart will dance because of the hope we have, life is not in vain and we can let each circumstance, each happening mould us into something undescribable. They are there to strengthen us and for that my heart will dance. There is Faith, Hope and Charity!

But the God of all grace,

who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

(1Peter 5:10)

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Some pictures of the past weeks...