Cracks of Sunshine

This has been a hard week for me.  I won't detail all the heartache, but bad news and sad news have been in abundance.  Mostly about stupid cancer.  Cancer is the biggest jerk. It has had me a bit down in the dumps.  My heart has a very big empathy component and even when things are not happening directly to me, I immediately try to imagine how it would feel to be in the shoes of the person diagnosed or the children and parents of those that are sick.  UGH!  The worst.  Sometimes I wish my heart could turn down the empathy about fifty notches. 

But in and amongst the bad and sad, there have been so many lovely cracks of sunshine breaking through the gloom.

I went to lunch with a friend to a beautiful little cafe. The cafe is called BiG and their mission is to provide an educational environment that creates meaningful jobs, builds a sense of belonging and validates dignity and respect for adults with disabilities.  I am all on board with that mission.  They had the cutest little gift shop and a greenhouse. And the food was terrific and the coffee was exceptional.  And the conversation with my sweet friend Jeanne was deep and tender and soulful and lifted my spirits immensely.  We both got teared up more than once and neither one of us cared a bit.  We also laughed a lot.  Bring on the Sunshine! 

My darling friend Lori dropped by the house with a plant for me.  A beautiful burst of live greenery for my office to put off good oxygen and remove toxins from the air and basically make my heart smile every time I see it. Bring on the Sunshine!

I went to a YMSL Mom's meeting this week and our activity was yoga.  I was dreading it. I have tried yoga before and it was hard.  I did not want to do it at all and told several of my friends I would be in the way back drinking wine.  But turns out, doing chair yoga in a room full of 50 women, especially next to some of your favorite people in the world is pretty excellent.  It was relaxing and fabulous and I LOVED it.  No handstands, no downward dog, no twisting yourself into a pretzel.  Just gentle stretching, lots of deep breathing and those two things together are pretty spectacular.  So, if there is a chair yoga class out there like that...SIGN ME UP!  In fact, I am really going to try to sign up.  Wanna join me?  Bring on the Sunshine! 

My sweet Chip and I had some hard conversations about hard things and although those kinds of talks can be exhausting and emotional, it was also a relief.  Speaking your feelings out loud instead of letting them stew inside is always challenging, but I think speaking them takes away some of their power and then maybe they don't seem so bad.  I love that kid.  He has the kindest, most tender big ol' heart.  A huge ray of Sunshine! 

I talked to Harry several times this week and a friend of mine works at UT in Austin and she is going to throw Harry's resume around a little bit to see if we can shake loose a first job for him.  When I called to ask him if he would consider UT or if it was too close to home, he said "Actually, the more time I spend away from family I realize that I really should do everything I can to get closer to the people I love."  My heart did a back flip and then a front somersault and a double back pike half twist.  If heart gymnastics were a thing, I would be in the Olympics.  Regardless of whether it works out or not, it was so nice to know that coming home doesn't make him scream and run in the opposite direction!  Magnificent ray of Sunshine! 

So lots of good and wonderful this week that made the gloom bearable.  Today, I am flying to Bama to spend Bob's birthday weekend with the family.  It will be a wonderful dose of love and laughter and just what I need. 

Have a spectacular weekend!  Snag all the sunshine you can!