A Bittersweet Farewell... Or Is It?

Well, it has come to an end, as all things in this world must.  Oh, how I do love the little tastes of Heaven we're given even here!  And I'm so thankful that God brings us through seasons - so thankful we never stay in one place, that no matter how difficult things may be, they don't last forever.  Jesus faithfully brings us through them and into another season, closer to His side than before, and with a greater understanding of who He is.  And that is so worth any possible pain I could go through...

I love the restful periods of refreshment, the times where I feel He is just saying, "My dear child, I love you.  Know it.  Bask in it.  Be joyful.  Delight in Me."  That's where I am at the moment, and I'm thoroughly enjoying every minute of it.  :-) 

Being involved in this show ('The Importance of Being Earnest', in case you missed my previous posts here and here.) has been a wonderful combination of emotional rest and productive work.  I had rather forgotten how marvelous it is to make people laugh!  :-) 

'A merry heart doeth good like a medicine...'  Proverbs 17:22

This reminder has spilled over into other areas of my life, too, and that has been a blessing.  Cheerfulness is something that I'm called to no matter where I am, but certain times of life make it much easier...  :-)

At any rate, I have really relished the opportunity to love people.  It's challenging at times, and very easy at others.  It was so difficult to say good-bye yesterday...  I knew it would be, the end of a show is always hard for me, but this one hit me in ways I didn't expect.  It got me thinking that whenever you love, you give of yourself. And when you do that, it opens you up to that bittersweet pain of being connected to people.  Knowing that when you love people, you will be hurt at some point, does that mean we shouldn't love anyway?

Jesus loved, and look where it led Him!  And He never, ever regretted it...  Loving is always worth it, regardless.

'A friend loveth at all times...'  Proverbs 17:17