ROOM

I read something a few days ago about grief. I can’t remember the exact quote or who wrote it, but it was something like this, “The pain doesn’t go away; you just learn to make room for it.”

It made me realize that as we go through the process of living, we make room for lots of things. After my son Eric was born, I thought I could never love another child as much as I loved him – until Robert was born. I wasn’t excited about having a third baby until I held Annie, my beautiful baby girl, in my arms. Loving another child didn’t take anything away from anybody. My heart just grew bigger to make room for the infinite love I felt for each one of them.

It’s easy to make room for the triumphs and joys in our lives. It’s a little harder to make room for our disappointments and losses. But it is the combination of all of our experiences that ends up weaving the tapestry of our lives. (The most interesting ones have the widest variety of colors!)

When we allow ourselves to recognize every experience, good or bad, as an opportunity for growth, we will always find more room in our lives for wisdom, joy and appreciation.