on Life.

Oh, life. {Linking up with Blessed Is She} Life is crazy. Life is messy. Life is beautiful. It is unplanned, infuriating, joyful, glorious, frustrating and so much more. But most of all, life is a blessing. It struck me yesterday, since I'm a nut for dates and anniversaries, that two years ago today - on the feast day of St. Joseph the worker no less - I found out that my job was being eliminated. I had another part-time job on the side, but being let go from a job is not a fun feeling. At the time I had just started dating Anthony (and I mean just started dating - we'd been on exactly three dates and had a fourth one planned for that evening), but I knew that he was just across the street teaching that day. I was sad and I really wanted to leave my office, walk across the street (we met through work though the parish and the school are in different buildings) and be comforted by my...well...what was he? Was he my boyfriend? Could I call him that yet? Losing jobs, being unsure of where a relationship is headed, being sad about said job loss...that's life. It is messy and crazy and downright bewildering at times. But now I look back on that day with fond memories. After that sad news (it was only a week before that that I was dancing around my office because Anthony had asked me out), Anthony and I went on a fabulous date and I actually got him to dance and taught him a few new moves. It was that night that he told me he wanted to wait until he was at the altar with his bride to kiss again. What started off as a rocky day ended up being one of my fondest memories with my now-husband thus far. In a way, I think that's kind of the point of life. There's going to be frustrating, sad, annoying things. But at the same time, there are going to be wonderfully beautiful things. Some things will end so that others can begin. Heartbreak leads to joy, beauty can come from the ashes. It sounds cliché, but it is true. There will be dark days, much like Good Friday, but after each Good Friday comes Easter. After the sorrow there is rejoicing. So I lost my job, but I gained a husband. If it weren't for that job I may never have met him, the husband I love and the father of our daughter. And if it weren't for that job and meeting my husband, our daughter wouldn't be napping in the other room. Life begets life. And at the end of the day - even the hard, trying days that test your will - life is beautiful because it is always a gift from Him. Cherish it.