Come on over to my lemonade stand...

Well, it's been over two months since I've blogged, and for good reason. I've had a close family member and another close friend both pass away within that time, and meanwhile have been trying to find the state of mind to carry on day-to-day activities without losing my... well, you know. Grief is a strange process. To say that there are only five stages of grief wouldn't be doing it justice.

Grief ebbs and flows; it's not meant to be forced, nor is it meant to be swallowed. The sadness one experiences can be buffered by a close family or friend network, lots of personal space to process and feel feelings, and proper self-care techniques (as has been mentioned in my blog before). But the coddling and caring for the grief itself is not to be understated. Sadness and loss are two feelings all humans are familiar with, yet do not welcome near their front door. It is perhaps the acceptance of, and allowance for the presence of these emotions that allows us to heal. I welcome my grief. It is my chance to perseverate on the feelings I have for the individuals I lost and the gratitude I hold for the absence of pain in their lives.

A friend shed a new light on me regarding this subject today. She explained that perhaps we don't need to get mired down in the process of grieving and, on the contrary, celebrate what the person meant and still means to us today. Simple, yet it works. This has given me the personal power to recommit to my daily living tasks, feel a little more in control of my world, and step out in faith to keep challenging my fears and taking risks to create positive change in my life.

My hats off to the author of "Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Hardiness Helps People

Turn Stressful Circumstances into Opportunities" on psychologymatters.org. Commitment, control, and challenge are the keys to finding oneself with a pitcher full of glorious lemonade, instead of a bucket of lemons. Which would you rather have? Check out the article by clicking on the title to this blog entry. It's worth a shot.