Friday, March 4, 2011

Come Taste the Colors

Hi.  Chances are if you've found this site, you're either

  1. a member of my family;
  2. a friend who is humoring me by checking this out; or
  3. someone who, like me, is looking for a place in this new cyberworld of relationships where they can fit in and find support on this crazy journey we call Life.

However you got here, welcome.  I'm glad you've come.  Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, relax.  I promise it will be entertaining.  And maybe inspiring.  And you might even learn something about yourself or your kids or God. Not that I am some Master Teacher--but I learn something new everyday from my life, and I have a feeling my life is not all that different from yours.


Like many of you, my journey on Earth has been arduous.  It's been exhausting.  Painful.  Heart-rending.  I used to be so envious of those people who had it all together.  The ones who were all sunshine and lollipops and rainbows and butterflies and...well, you know the ones.  I used to wish my life was JUST LIKE THEIRS.  That things would be easier for me.  That the pain would go away and never come back.  That the struggles would lesson and the trials would dissipate.  It seemed like one thing after another after another has haunted my life since childhood.  That's not to say there weren't great things in my life too, but often the trials loom up larger than the blessings.


But many years ago, I met my Glass-Half-Full Husband. I decided to change how I see my journey, and start living in the blessings.  The Bible says that God knows the plans He has for ME...and that those plans are plans to PROSPER me and NOT to HARM me.  So I embraced that promise and began to trust God to create the good experiences I so craved.  And shortly after, Life became amazing and good and trouble-free!


NOT.


No, I continued to experience trials.  But as I trust God and "lean not on my own understanding," I have realized that God has given me a difficult load to bear for a reason.  (He promises not to give us any more than we can handle!)  And recently I have come to believe that this reason may be so I can share my journey and help others along the way who may just need a friend who truly understands.  And in return, I'm hoping you will help me.  Because I don't have all the answers.  If I was to take a test on Life, I'd fail it.  So maybe together, we can find the answers we need.  If nothing else, we'll laugh and have fun along the way.


So come with me.  See the beauty in this messed up world.  Taste and see that God is good.  Enjoy the colors and smells and sights and sounds all around you.  You may even learn to view things in a whole new way.  I know I have.

4 comments:

  1. Ellie, you were very eloquent and I like that you are willing to share yourself with us. I love you and am glad that you are a strong yet vulnerable, joyful yet realistic and altogether kind woman. I am privileged to know you and call you friend...even though it's been YEARS since we've seen each other!

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  2. Love this, Ellie! I'm so excited to keep up with your blog. I love it already. :)

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  3. Just finished reading everything you've posted so far! (I tend to do things whole-heartedly.) My cousin's son just got diagnosed with autism, and she reposted something you had written either on here or at SPD. Either way, it led me here, and I just wanted to say thank you for such an honest-and-yet-somehow-hopeful attitude! It uplifts me to read your profile!

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  4. Katherine, So glad you found me and that I could encourage in some way :)

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