The View As I See It

 

On a recent trip I was driving through Tennessee as the sun was setting. I set my phone on camera mode and took several pictures. Both of my sons tried to cue me as to when was a good time to press the button. Alex slowed down so that I could get a better image in some treeless areas. Tyler in all of his excitement just yelled for me to take the picture. His energy is so amazing.

Once I looked at the pictures I actually liked the very first one that I took. It was a cool experience and one that I will cherish for years to come. The view at that moment was incredible. My pumpkins and I on a road trip. That in itself was an unexpected and exciting experience. The view at that moment was beautiful and I had to capture it so that I could remember the beauty of it.

The view for my family has at times gone through the valleys of ups and downs. What family hasn’t? It’s how you handle the difficult times and celebrate the good times. At age 41 I realize that I have probably lived more than half of my life. What I am valuing most right now is the lessons and experiences that I have learned as a Christian, as a mother, as a teacher, as a writer, and simply as a woman. What drives me now is the legacy that I will leave.

Recently I had the extreme opportunity of guiding a student as she went through the devastating loss of her son at birth. She decided to have a funeral for him. Imagine going through that at the age of 17? As much as I could be there for her I was. When I saw her son at the funeral I was in awe of his beauty. This beautiful boy took my breath away. There was a crowd of family and friends surrounding the tiny coffin and we were all frozen. We simply couldn’t believe how beautiful he was. I reached out and touched his tiny hand and then his curly hair. I left there thinking just how awesome God is. He will allow us to see His beauty even through our pain.

You see from my view what is gone is just that gone but you can still the beauty in the lesson. You can see the beauty in the experience. The sunset I took a picture of is gone. Baby Ja’Quan he’s gone. The beauty isn’t gone and the lesson is still there. With the help of my family I was able to capture a moment. With the gifts that God has given me I was able to uplift a brokenhearted mother.

God is doing a work in me. He wants my views to change. He wants me to see His beauty and lessons in all things. Even when the view doesn’t look all that beautiful to the human eye, it’s absolutely perfect in His.