First we are born and then we die.  No, actually we are first conceived and then we are born.  Or if you want to take it further back than that, we are carried around inside the ovaries of our mother for years before we even get at chance at conception.  You see, life is complicated.

Complicated. Yes. Boring?  Not for me.  Life is awesome and terrible. It is beautiful in a deformed kind of way.  Deformed because we live outside the Garden of Perfection, beautiful because enough of the garden remains to glorify everything that springs from it. 

Every day is different.  Some days come on like the idyllic blossoming of spring afer a hard winter.  Refreshing.  Brand new.  Sparkling.  On those days, my step is lighter and a lilt in my voice causes the boy who bags my grocieries to give me a second look.  Maybe he is wondering how I can be so happy considering all those unamerican wrinkles that line my brow.

On other days, the clouds roll in like thunderheads from hades and I am loathe to crawl out from under my covers.  On those days my husband tiptoes out the door and lets me have my space. Thank God those days are rare and short lived.  Why else would my marriage have survived twenty-two years? 

Take all the days together, put them an a big bag and shake them up--and and then pour them out--and WOW! Are you ready for this?   Out comes the thing called life!  Awesome and terrible, beautiful and deformed--and happening in little bits and pieces inside the bag that is my personal space in this great big universe--all shaken up and poured out!  That is LIFE!!!  It's not perfect, but it is the gift we have been given--and we get to decide what we will do with it!  That is the best part.

Linda Settles