LEANING INTO THE WIND...

Hard to believe, but Siri says its 82 degrees outside right now ... "HOT!" ... and not only that - it's WINDY! And geepers, is it ever hard to walk in the wind! As I was doing my morning walk today, not only was I HOT and THIRSTY, but I was having to LEAN INto the wind just to keep moving forward... trying to keep my hat on AND keep my balance. It wasn't a pretty sight, let me assure you!

WIND. It stirs up dust and debris. It knocks over plants and trash cans. It can also fan a small ember and turn it into a large destructive fire, as we are experiencing 50 miles from here.

WIND! I'm not a fan!

While leaning into the wind on my walk home I realized that I was experiencing first hand the best grief advice ever given to me ... "Debbie, LEAN INTO YOUR PAIN."

PAIN HURTS. It can stir up all sorts of emotions. Junk can fly. Tears will fall. And the pain will be relentless, like an ever-blowing wind. Oh how we hate pain. We'll do anything to avoid it. We'll try to mask it. Numb it. Stuff it somewhere, ANYWHERE ... ANYTHING other than feel it.

I don't know about you, but I don't like wind and I certainly don't like pain. But as I experience first hand ... the only way to move past my pain was THROUGH IT. Leaning INTO my pain ... just as I had to lean into the wind.

LEAN IN to the wind my friend ... LEAN IN to your pain ... you'll make it. Truly, you will.