Bitter Sweet

Life is not always easy.

It is, often times, a blend of the bitter and the sweet; each washing over you repeatedly teaching you to weather the bitter and savor the sweet.

I have six brothers; each in their own way amazing and outstanding and I love them all. At any given moment, I can recall countless childhood memories with each or all of them in which we always ended up laughing . . . either because it was truly hilarious; or we were simply happy to have survived. We were very close. When folks send those silly email lists about "where have you been?" and "what foods have you eaten?," the answer to "what was your favorite childhood toy?" was always, "pick a brother, any brother". Now, two of the six don't even speak to me. Up and down. Bitter and sweet.

I have a dear friend who just started a very exciting new venture. She has been wanting to write for a long time. She was doing fantastic. She was really digging deep and I believe touching folks. She seemed thrilled to have taken that leap of faith to put herself out there and do what she wasn't sure she could do. Now . . . she sits bedside with her grandmother willing her to pass to a much better place. Up and down. Bitter and sweet.

My youngest uncle is younger than my oldest brother. We pretty much grew up together. He is a kind and gentle and wonderful soul. He has worked hard his whole life, dealt with some health issues, legal stuff, and finally found a woman who made him happy and kept him focused on good things like work and happy family and laughter. Two days ago, cancer took her from him. Up and down. Bitter and sweet.

Although sometimes the bitter is truly bitter and that taste and that sorrow is horribly difficult to remove from your palate, know that the sweet will come. As the rainbow follows the storm, there will be sweet times ahead of you.

For now, buckle up.