I have been struggling to write the last few weeks – a cardinal sin for a blogger. I’d actually had some posts lined up to go automatically but pulled them down two weeks ago. Why?

There’s been a lot happening on the personal front. A family member is facing a serious illness, and while she is fighting it like a warrior princess, it takes a toll emotionally. When something like this is going on in the background, it makes the minutiae of every day life seem silly to talk (or blog) about. Time stops. Your energy is completely focused on the battle. You’re afraid. Angry. Scared. Spent.

It’s been just over two weeks now since everything started. Eventually, you find a place for the fear and uncertainty. You are stronger. You move through the days: the sparks of hope and the setbacks. While the ache is still fresh, there is a sense of distance as well. You still wonder, still scream, why is this happening? What lesson are you supposed to learn from this?

Balancing work and home life as a parent becomes complicated, especially for A-type, faux Superwomen.  It’s exhausting.  When you are weary, little things start to bother you. The house is a mess. The volume is too loud. Politics on TV, or annoyances at the office. Someone hurts your feelings. So you hold your anger in or let it out. You’re frustrated and complaining. You feel justified, vindicated, righteous in your fury. The minutiae becomes a mountain. And each one is a mountain you are willing to die on.

Why?

If there is one thing that I have learned over the past two weeks, it’s that these small things will pass.

Ultimately, it’s about perspective. So, the house is a mess. The commute is long. You’re not getting along with someone.

These small things will pass.

Money is tight.  Things are frustrating. The future, uncertain.

These small things will pass.

All that matters is the energy you give to the world, the people you love, your health and the time you spend together. Everything else… those are the small things.  The important ones – family, love, health – they need to be protected.  Treasured.

Life isn’t predictable, and it isn’t easy. Things won’t always go your way. It will get hard. Yet, life can’t – and doesn’t – stop when things are rough. Life keeps going. We become stronger. I hope we become wiser.  I hope I do.

I’m amazed by the strength I see in my family members.  I hope they find the same strength in me.