“Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” John Lennon

While I grasp many ideas intellectually, often times I don’t live them. I used to be one of those people who believed that once X was in order, then everything else would fall into place. Over my lifetime, X has been many things – getting the right job, moving to the right neighborhood, going to the right grad school, meeting the right guy, having the perfect wedding, having a baby, losing 10 lbs. There is always an X to chase after and I continue to learn that things don’t fall into place X is achieved. Or maybe it does for awhile and then all hell breaks loose again. I naively believed that everyone else had perfect lives (especially those who were married when I was desperate to meet someone). If only I could have X, everything would be ok, my little mind thought. HA!

Thankfully I now accept that life happens and understand that there is always something to reach for -there is no “perfect.” Just last week, for instance, we were looking forward to a wonderful weekend packed full with fun family plans. On Thursday evening, my husband’s “gas pains” were instead diagnosed as a ruptured appendix and he was off to spend five days in the hospital.

In the hectic days that followed; with me running back and forth to the hospital and taking the boys to their various events (fun family plans gone), I was overwhelmed with the love and support I received from friends. Several brought dinner, some visited my hubby in the hospital, others watched the boys so I could go visit him alone, and another cut our lawn for us. While last weekend didn’t go as I originally planned, I may argue that it was better in some ways, because I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the love and blessings showered on us. And my husband did not need surgery. It was a nice reminder that things happen in their own time and space and if you look closely enough, there are blessings in EVERY situation.