Hard season

I was chatting with Christina this morning about realizing that this has been a hard season. In the last few months we have both been sick three times. The first time was an intense virus that had us all on our knees (excluding Abigail who never seems to get sick). This was immediately followed by a secondary virus. And a few weeks later both Christina and I came down with the same cold that has been hanging onto us for a few weeks. We have realized this last few months that our next door neighbor was a drug addict and was not a capable mother, the arrest and investigation that confirmed this happened a few weeks ago - it is hard to see this happening in our own neighborhood which has been a very positive atmosphere until this point. I tore a tendon in my right hand a few weeks ago which has added a constant pain to my daily interactions. Exercise has been rare due to sickness, my body feels week. My work seems devoid of any opportunity for passion right now. This week we attended the memorial service of a friend who, at 38, died within two weeks of learning he had cancer. He leaves behind a wife and five children who are the same ages as our own and are good friends. Yes, it has been a hard season.

And yet I am so thankful for the friends that I have - family friends, personal friends, work friends, and most of all my wife who experiences almost everything along with me - we bond closer with our friends at these times, and when times are good those bonds allow us to celebrate joy and success together. Without these dear friends hard seasons would simply be impossible.