Wood, Coal, Ice and Fabric

Character is built through the tough days, not the easy days.

The key to whether or not the character becomes part of us is determined by whether or not we let it.

Everybody has rough moments.
Everyone has bad days.

Do those tough moments and days make you stronger, more patient and wiser or do they make you bitter, irritable, and reserved?

I see the difficulties as refining and chiseling seasons. 

If I was a piece of wood, each hardship would take away the slivers and smooth the hard edges.  As the difficulties keep coming, a shape starts to form.  Sometimes it is recognizable, sometimes it is beautiful, sometimes it is simply a vague shape.

If I was a piece of coal, the pressure of each trial would begin to push out the impurities.  The pressure might form me into something desirable. 

If I was a chunk of ice, the chisel would take away the undesirable lines and shape me into a statue that others might want to see.

If I was a piece of material, the scissors would cut just the right things away.  The thread would sew me back up in the perfect places to resemble something useful and beautiful.

Cancer helped me relax and understand that I have to let some things go.  I learned to stop and focus my energy on the most important tasks and to stop running around trying to do everything and be everything.  I learned to stop telling myself I should do things.  Before cancer, I would tell myself I should clean the kitchen, do the laundry, vacuum the carpet - these thoughts all occurred while I was resting from busy and long days.  After cancer, I learned to say I could do things.  I could do the dishes, I could do the laundry, I could clean the kitchen or I could rest and continue watching a movie.  Could became a magic word that freed me from expectations.

MS finished off the lessons I was starting to learn because of cancer.  I couldn't do everything.  I was physically too weak.  Not only did I have a difficult time completing tasks, I had to learn to ask for help. I had to learn to sit and watch others help me.  I had to learn to let go a bit more.  MS added another layer to my awareness of my health and to my awareness of overcoming obstacles on a daily basis.  MS won't go away like cancer did.  I had to learn that my new battle would happen every day for the rest of my life.

I hope I am a bit softer after my challenges.  I hope I am a bit more flexible.  I hope parts of me might even be beautiful. 

I don't want more difficulties and trials to come my way, but I am thankful when they do, they will continue to shape me and form me into something amazing as long as I sit back and let them.  The wood, the coal, the ice and the material don't fight and protest when challenges come.  I don't want to fight either.  I want to let the challenges continue to take away the sharp, scratchy and unwanted edges.