Weather the storm

I apologize to the faithful readers of this blog, I never meant to take this long, but life has been “lifing”.  Since the beginning of 2024, the gale force winds of life have been blowing. The torrential rains so-to-speak nearly knocked me off of my feet. I’ve never seen a year with such tragedy, chaos, challenges, and death and then somehow the repeat button has been pressed. When tragedy strikes you can’t always explain, or understand why it occurs. If you’re like me you want to know why, but why has a very long tail. It often leads to a myriad of unanswered questions. You will drive yourself nearly insane trying to figure it all out. So don’t try to decipher the reason for the series of unfortunate events that may have unfolded in your life. I often find myself practicing the truth that “all things work together”, including whatever storm I’m in.

Not to be cliche, but you have to find the faith, then keep it. The faith for what you ask? The faith to believe that something good will come out of all of the rubbish. I’m still believing for good, as I am in the midst of life’s unexpected, unmerited, and unusual onslaught of relentless challenges. If you are in the thick of it, I encourage you to keep going. Give no power to the storms of life that seek to tear you down, knock you off your feet, and then persuade you that this is the end. Hunker down and refuse to let life’s storms take from you. Believe me I’m talking to myself right now as well.

Self care by feeding your spirit, and reading books like “Who Moved My Cheese?”, or The Present, By Spencer Johnson. Choose to create joy! Yes, you can actually do that. We don’t have to wait for permission, or until the storm is over to feel better. What has to change in our circumstances is us. We must change the way we respond. So proceed ahead, take walks, smell some flowers, have dinner in the park, reach out and spread a little joy to the world around you. Participating in your own joy is what you’ll be doing. You won’t be waiting for the perfect weather in your life, to enjoy your life. 

Here’s a quick activity to create joy in your life, and to speak life into your future, even in the midst of the storm. My family and I do it everyday. Look up into the sky, find an airplane, and imagine where you are on your way to, or coming from. It’s a sweet game that my son made when he was about 7 or 8 years old, he’s well into his teens now. He told us that he used to be sad wishing he could get on an airplane, and one day he just looked up and decided he would imagine where he was going instead of wishing.The blessing is this young man has been to quite a few places in his life since then, so it definitely is a seed into the future. It will encourage you to take the Dr. Seuss’ approach, and dream big, like in the book “Oh the Places You’ll Go!”

I hope that you are able to “weather” whatever storm that may be in your life today. I hope, and pray that you come out of it, shining like a diamond. It a takes myriad of circumstances to form diamonds, and the irritation inside oysters to form the most beautiful pearls. I tell my daughter this all the time, because she has been through so much. Negative comments, and looks of disapproval from relatives, as if she isn’t good enough. She’s endured awful words from former friends, and associates. Therefore, I remind her that she is a pearl. So I will remind you as well, yes you, who is reading this now. You are a pearl, and you are a diamond. Keep shining, and keep pressing through life’s storms, for I truly believe for you as I do for myself that the best is still yet to come. 

Weathering the Storm,

April E.
Lovely Coils 
Founder & Owner