Sometimes Life Sucks;Sometimes it Doesn't

My niece wrote on Facebook that this was a horrible day. I considered writing the following to her:

Sometimes, life sucks. Yes, it sucks royally. Things don't go as planned. You had expected to have a picnic, but were met with a raging storm instead. People who you thought you could count on, disappear. Husbands leave with no more than a note on the pillow.

Sometimes it is a beautiful summer day, and you are waiting to go to the beach, as planned. Only your mother answers the phone and as you look at the patterns the sun is making on the carpet, you hear her say something about going to the hospital, and suddenly, you and your younger brother are spending weeks of time at the house of a friend of the family,while your parents deal with your sister's accident.

And sometimes you are watching the news and realize the person they are talking about, the person killed in a freak accident, was your partner in the school production of "Hello, Dolly."

And sometimes you get a call at work to let you know that your father passed away, and you need to make plans to go out west for his funeral, and yet still hold yourself together for your work day.

Yes, all this sometimes happens. But I also wanted to let her know that sometimes you are on your friend's porch, drinking wine and appreciating the warmth of the sun. And sometimes you are on the harbor of your city's yacht club, appreciating the jokes that one of your high school friends is making. And sometimes you are sitting at your sister's house, watching the grand nieces and nephews play and enjoying the conversation with family members. And sometimes those family members are appreciating the day, as their doctors have told them their days are numbered.

This is life It is,unfortunately, sometimes horrible, and it is, sometimes wonderful beyond belief. One can't appreciate the wonder without accepting the worst.