The Candyland Perspective

I recently read a story written by Jeff Olsen called "I Knew Their Hearts."   It's an autobiographical account of his experiences surrounding a horrifying car crash that killed his wife & youngest son, while leaving him barely alive.  He writes about slipping out and back into this life, and his story is rather touching and important.  Without telling his story for him, I will just concentrate on two words of advice and comfort from his story that touched me the most:  choose joy. Sometimes things aren't easy.  Whether it's dealing with a boss who's literally losing her mind, figuring out how to make ends meet when pieces are short, or how to heal a broken heart and/or body, these things aren't easy, but they are doable.  I've done pretty well in life with not comparing myself to others too much.  I understand that my weaknesses up against someone else's strengths is just silly.  I know that each person's challenge is unique to that perso...

One week ago tonight he left our home for good.  We knew one day he would go, we just didn't expect that it would have been this soon.  The way things had been going the past few weeks, I knew that I didn't think I could make it through the holidays with things going the same way.  But when the final straw broke this camel's back, that's all she wrote.  Well, not really.  Five big black garbage bags lied in wait down my hallway.  His bedroom door remained shut because the alternative was just too ridiculous to even consider.  I couldn't go in there without becoming angry, sick, and overwhelmed with so many emotions...and smells.  That room full of stink and filth didn't seem like reality.  It was hard for me to fathom why and how he could create this mess and allow himself to live within it.  But there it was, waiting for something.  The five black bags contained much of his clothing, all filthy, that had been strewn a...