Driving Into the Sun

I love this time of year.  Each day is a little longer and a little brighter than the one before, and the summer solstice is still a long way off.  The sun is rising on my way to work and it's setting as I drive home. 

While all is bright in some ways, all is not well in others.  Several of my friends and their loved ones are facing very trying times.  A dear friend's elderly mother is expected to pass away within the next few hours.  Another friend's husband, a healthy 47 year old who hikes and plays softball on a regular basis, had a massive heart attack two weeks ago.  He is stable, but his heart is functioning now at only 42%. 

Another friend's best friend since fifth grade was recently diagnosed with cancer; she's barely 40 years old.  The husband of a Twitter acquaintance was just diagnosed with cancer.  And yet another friend was recently diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer.  Doctors have advised her the best treatment is very aggressive chemotherapy and radiation over the next few months.  More friends than I know are struggling financially, and still others are at risk of losing their job.

I am awestruck by the strength with which each of my friends is handling their respective circumstances.  In each case, there is no way around what is happening; the only route is through it. 

When I am driving to and from work these days, the sun is rising and setting in front of me.  I head east in the morning and see the sun rise, and I drive west in the evenings and see the sun set.  This time of year, the sun is just above the horizon as I travel, so it is overwhelming, huge, and blinding.  Whether I am traveling east in the morning or west in the evening,  I am driving into the sun.  But I continue on the road because there is no other route and it will lead me to where I am supposed to be.  I am as comfortable as possible on the journey, and I know I will reach a destination where I am welcomed and loved.

Each of my friends is driving into the sun these days, too.  They are in situations that are overwhelming, huge, and blinding.  They know there is no way around it, only through it.  Yet they continue forward. 

During these difficult times, I wish for each of my friends and their loved ones a route that takes them to where they are supposed to be, too.  My hope is that they are comforted as much as possible on their journey, and my hope is that they and their loved ones will reach a destination where they are welcomed and loved.  

      

Comments

[sam]

ok

[Angela]

Thank you for this, it is just what I needed, at just the right time. How inspiring!