The other day I was talking with a dear friend and we each shared about the hard pieces in our lives. As she let some tears flow, she asked me how I kept from crying when I was sharing prior to her. I reminded her that I certainly have my moments of crying, but that after a while I’ve somewhat moved this hard piece in my life from the heart space to the head space. In other words, I’ve grieved the pain of it. Now it’s something I’m aware of in my mind, and still deal with responsibly, but it no longer dominates my emotions as much as it once did. 

Such is the path through tough situations, it seems. First our hearts are pierced and we feel that anguish around every corner. Then, eventually, we find a way to release the sorrow and let the event, relationship, circumstance, or whatever the problem is, to just be. It’s simply a part of the story. It may be a long and arduous chapter that brought us to our knees, but it is still only one chapter in a long book of our lives. 

Sometimes I find it helpful to be intentional about declaring an end to the processing, mourning, or discerning of a difficult matter when the time comes. In doing so I can choose to move the issue from heart to head so as to free up room in the center of my being for something nourishing to enter. So often when we do make a shift like that, we welcome more blessings that have been there all along, just waiting for us to rejoice in them. 

May you be inspired!