LIfe Does Not Have to Be Perfect

Today I would like to share a post from the City's Facebook page.  The story spoke to me and I hope that it will speak to you. 

When a family goes through a lot of hard things, we don't always have the words.

But sometimes the words come in the most unexpected ways. Like the 6-year-old with special needs who came into our donation room last week. He left, clutching onto only one item. A plaque that read, "Life doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful". 

 

He didn't hold toys, or books, or puzzles - but he held a tiny reminder that life can still be beautiful, even when things don't feel very perfect. A glimpse of hope, beauty, and joy.

These are the moments we are so grateful for.

 

It was about ten years ago that I was very ill.  The doctors did not know what was going on and kept sending me in for testing.  I was diagnosed with mono and chronic strep.  I was diagnosed with severe food allergies.  Oh wait! Maybe it was Lyme's? My adrenals were tanking and my cortisol had flat lined.  At one point, I asked a doctor what he thought but he just shrugged his "I don't know" answer.  The message on that boy's plaque spoke to me because of my life's experiences.

I haven't gone through the trauma that a refugee has experienced.  My marriage is strong.  My children are happy.  God is good.  Life truly does not have to be perfect to be beautiful.  We can grab those happy moments and savor them.  They will give us the strength for the moments that are not so perfect.  I found out the hard way that clinging to the not-so-perfect moments just adds to the burden.  This young man learned that lesson so much earlier than I did. 

And of some have compassion, making a difference: Jude 1:22 KJV

Click here to find out more about partnership opportunities at City of Refuge.

All opinions expressed here are solely mine and are not a reflection of the opinions of the AmeriCorps VISTA program

 or of City of Refuge in Columbia, MO.