And rain will make the flowers grow

For some reason, this has been a difficult morning. It shouldn't be a difficult morning, but I've got a black cloud over my head. I'm focusing on the wrong things--like our small, crowded hotel room, like the cold day outside, like the constant pain of my unfixable right hand, like the fact that I desperately need a haircut, like the unreasonable voice in my head telling me once again that I don't matter. Stupid stuff, I know, but still, that's what I'm focusing on.

Most of the pics I'd like to look at right now are on our desktop. That computer sits here in our crowded hotel room in a box. No place to put it, so it stays in the box til we are in our house. I need cheering up, so I looked for cheer-up pics on Danny's laptop and found this one:

= 

Abby made this flower for me many months ago. I'm so glad I took a picture of it to remind me of a sweet memory of a day with Abby, for she erased it right afterwards to draw something else. I'm so glad that we were able to preserve that moment and that I found this picture on Danny's laptop. 

I needed the sunshine that emanates from her inspired artistic creation. 

And maybe this is a weird thought, but as I look at this little flower from my darling little granddaughter, I can hear Eponine's voice (from Les Miserables) singing these words: 

"And rain will make the flowers grow..." 

Even as she lay dying, Eponine focused on the positive! She had every right to be miserable, as her whole life had been filled with poverty and misery, but her final thoughts focused on the fact that the rain falling upon her bleeding body would make the flowers grow. Wow. Can I please be like Eponine (except for the difficult life and dying young part?)?

We need flowers in our lives, and therefore, we need rain. So it's okay for me to have a day that doesn't include laughter and poppies. 

I'm glad I decided to post this morning. I almost didn't, since I have a lot to take care of this morning and probably shouldn't have even gone online. 

But I found an invitation from Jamee to view her blog (I hadn't been able to see it lately) and as I read some of her inspired posts and enjoyed her pics, I noted that she too has hard days, especially lately with her very difficult pregnancy. Her words, pics and family/friends' responses helped me to realize that it's therapeutic to write. She's so loved by so many-- it was wonderful to read the comments her loved ones sent to her.  

I look up to my beloved Jamee so much--and I thought I too might write for the therapeutic value (even though MY hard day is NOTHING compared to HERS! I feel really sheepish even HAVING a hard day when I think of what sweet Jamee is going through!).

Thanks, Jamee, for inspiring me to write. I feel better and hope to make this day a good one now. And thanks, Abby, for the flower. :-)