The Blessings of Suffering

It was a perfect wedding; yet, all was not perfect. What a mixture of emotions and senses. His lovely daughter's wedding canopied amongst the beautiful trees his own lovely bride planted 25 years earlier. Smiles of joy shown on our faces while silent tears of sorrow wept in our hearts.

No tuxedo for this loving dad. He wore a red shirt sewn from red hot chili pepper fabric his wife made for him on a day when her body was not wracked with multiple sclerosis.

He and his beloved raised two precious girls to adulthood. Now on their eldest's wedding day, he walked the aisle alone in body, but together in spirit with his wife now hospitalized--too ill to enjoy the beauty she had planted in the lawn and in the hearts of her family.

"Your daughters are so lovely." I said in honesty. "Yes, they are. They are just like their mother." He replied. "My neighbor told me when my wife was diagnosed with MS that my children will be better people because of it. He was right." Living in a home where a loved one is chronically ill gives everyone a right perspective on what is truly important in this life.

I remember my own little brother being diagnosed with cancer when I was a teenager. God taught me lessons when I was 16 that I might never have learned otherwise--such as, people are more important than possessions and a bad hair day is not the end of the world.

We parents want to shelter our children from the pain of life. But it could be the best thing that ever happens to them. Praying today for this dear dad, his lovely bride, the newlyweds, and their other precious daughter. May you know a splash of serenity from our Father today.

With love and prayers,
Elaine