Surrounded by God's Beauty

As I sit here on this beautiful sunny morning sipping my coffee, I have many thoughts that go through my head. I am on vacation, I am surrounded by God's beauty, it is July 28, it is "Chicka's" birthday…and  all of these thoughts take me back a year…when I was on vacation with BJ, when we were seeing God's beauty from East Coast to West Coast making our journey back home, it was July 28, and he was excited to be home and celebrate the birthday of his lovely lady. I knew I would never forget her birthday because it is also the birthday of one of my nieces. 

Vacation this year has been much different than last year. Last year BJ was up early and excited every day to go and explore country he had never seen. He loved the Atlantic Ocean beaches and he enjoyed the charm of the south; however, he was not thrilled about the humidity or the big a$$ bugs…but there was not a whole lot that got under his skin or ruined his day. He made the most of life and rolled with a positive outlook most of the time. I miss that about him.

Like a vacation and seeing things for the first time; grief takes you through a journey where you see life in a new way. A journey where you can succumb to  the beast or you can roll with a positive outlook most of the time. I chose the latter. Make no mistake, it is not easy, but it IS my choice. I choose to keep living my life. I choose to see the beauty in my surroundings. I choose to not forget you!

If you are struggling to find the positive today, it's ok. We all take our journey at our own pace. Some days we are only able to get up and do the smallest of things while other days we have something to look forward to. It's ok. Spend your day the way you choose, but spend the day. Know that you are not alone on this journey. There are countless other people on their own journey and even though our journeys are different, they are the same. They are about loss…the loss of a parent, the loss of a sibling, the loss of a child. You may even be experiencing a living loss…the loss of a job, the loss of a marriage, the loss of community. Loss is loss. You may be in the middle of a compounded loss…multiple people, a job, a divorce, or a combination of losses. I encourage you to just sit…enjoy your surroundings of Gods beauty and reflect on where you are in your journey…choose to keep living, choose to not forget what or who has brought you on this journey, choose to get up and get dressed. #ForgetYOUnotFriday