Thanks. :)
...... which probably means absolutely nothing to most of you.
Except that you're wondering if you have to dance to an Elvis song.
Or the Big Bopper.
If you even know who the Big Bopper was.
(And just as an aside, just so you know ..... he was before my time but my mother did a great job of educating me in "oldies" music. As I did for my children. Much to their chagrin.)
So anywhoo ..... back to the topic at hand. This is a Blog Hop.
Actually, it's a Widowed Blog Hop, to be more specific.
Which means that at the end of my post there will be a list of other blogs ...... written by widowed people who are participating in the Blog Hop.
The hope is that you will "hop" from one blog to the next, thus meeting new writers and maybe making new friends.
We'll be doing this every month ..... on the first Wednesday of each month.
So welcome to the start of something new.
And I hope you enjoy hopping around.
Let me know what you think about it.
And now, back to my regularly scheduled post for today.
"Small Words ......"
............ can add up to one powerful sentence.
Or two.
Monday I went to lunch with several friends. We decided on Chinese. The food was good. The company was better.
At the end of the meal came the traditional passing around of the fortune cookies. We always open our cookies and then take turns reading the "fortune" out loud to the others.
This time there was one difference: I didn't read mine and no one seemed to notice, for which I was glad.
It was a simple strip of paper. With ten simple words.
Those ten words made two very powerful sentences:
I was stunned when I read those words.
And suddenly felt overwhelmed.
But in a good way.
And that surprised me.
If I had read those words in the first two years of my "after", I most likely would've felt stunned, overwhelmed and very, very grieved.
I could not have dealt with the thought that my happiness was not behind me.
Because behind me is where Jim is.
As is the happiness we had.
And that was all the happiness I would ever have.
Or so I thought.
But I was wrong.
Back then ...... so fresh in my "after".
And, even if it hurts to read this ...... so are you, if you think that all of your happiness is behind you.
I'd like for those words to give you hope, and not hurt.
But in the beginning ..... which lasts as long as it lasts for each person ...... just about everything hurts.
Even ten small words.
But now ...... now at almost 5 years in my "after", those ten words made me smile ..... not cry.
They reinforced the hope that has been planted in my heart.
Yes, they are only words.
No, I don't truly believe that fortune cookies hold the truth to my future ...... or anyone else's.
But I do believe in the power of those words.
And I believe there's a reason that they were in the cookie that I opened ...... and not in the eight others that were opened.
But what's more important, at least to me, is that that little slip of paper was powerful ...... but only partly true.
I do have happiness behind me.
And I treasure it.
But I also believe that I have much happiness before me. I don't know what that looks like, but I do know that it's my choice. If I choose to spend all of my time looking behind me, I'll miss out on all that is before me.
That doesn't mean that in order to be happy I have to stop looking behind me completely. I don't.
I know that I can glance behind me, and yet stretch my hands out in front ..... to catch hold of the happiness that's there.
I can remember what I had, and yet look forward to what is yet to come ...... whatever that is.
I don't have to forget Jim ...... that's just physically impossible. He's part of me, and will always be.
But I can take him forward with me ....... because he helped make the woman I am today. And the woman I'll be tomorrow.
I am happy.
Now.
Where I am.
And I'll be happy in the future.
Because of the happiness and love I had in the past.
I know what's possible.
And I know that ten little words can pack a lot of power.
If I choose to believe them.
And I do.
Happy Wednesday, Peeps.
:)
And speaking of Wednesday, here's the list of the other blogs ...... from which you may hop. :)
6 comments:
Wow! LOVE this post - the fortune cookie part just gave me goosebumps, and of course, some tears, but I can feel your hope and know that as always you inspire not only me, but so many others. Love the links too - so much in fact that I am going to be late for work if I don't stop clicking and reading!!!!! Thanks for sharing the links and your story!!!
Fantastic! And so full of hope
This is a great post. There is so much to be said about the power of words and where you are in your life when you read or hear them. I truely believe in this. When you said "I don't know what that looks like, but I do know that it's my choice. If I choose to spend all of my time looking behind me, I'll miss out on all that is before me." those two sentences are powerful as well. We do have a choice. I am a widow myself and focus on the choices we can make.
Samantha
Awesome post! I'm 6 years on this road and I also choose to welcome happiness. My husband will always be a part of me and like you mentioned, my husband also helped make me who I am today, and I like me! Thank you for this post. No doubt those words were powerful.
I love the fortune. I am to the place where I am letting the happiness out instead of hoarding it behind a wall of grief. Very chipper attitude. So nice to meet another mother with a gaggle of children.
Thank you for a wonderful inspirational post! It has been 4 1/2 years since my husband moved to heaven. While I agree there is happiness behind me in the form of joyous memories, there is a lot more happiness in front of me and I will embrace it.
God bless you.
Michele
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