The fragility of a smile

I love my niece, she is the first new born baby I ever held in my arms. I watched her grow for at least the first two weeks of her life, and then went back to boarding school. She grew up so fast that by the time I came back three months later; I remember asking my sister “is this the little baby?". Of course she laughed at me. I was 14 years old then probably not quite familiar with child development. One thing remains; I'm always mesmerized by how quickly babies grow. For me that’s one typical example of rapid change. Well, life has a tendency of bringing changes in alternation. Just imagine how quickly a clear blue sky turns into grey or how quickly love turns into hate, and how swiftly a heartwarming smile of a child turns into crying. So fragile are we that every beautiful moment feels like calm before the storm. As you enjoy the bliss of a new pleasure, you realize something ugly is bound to happen sooner or later. "Life is full of ups and downs" the saying goes. As I meditate upon the fragility of my happiness, how things have taken a wrong turn without warning in the past. How as soon as I thought everything was adding up, the confusion stepped in again. I begin to embrace the depth of my emptiness and the bitter truth that I'm forever filled simply to be emptied again. Honestly, as far as life goes, we must come to terms with the fact that we will never fully arrive for we are all continuously trying to figure things out. When the     moment of abundance comes, enjoy the things/people that make you happy without reservation. You never know how long you have. When all the streams dry up and it starts to feel like a desert, hold on to the memories and let them remind you that you are worth of all the good things that you once experienced and even more. Prepare your heart for the walk in the desert. In your season of abundance, fill your soul with God's truth about your life, take pictures, create a memory box and save money or invest you will thank yourself later. If you are to survive you need both psychological and physical nourishment which is a product of your preparation. When seasons change abruptly like they always do, you will have enough armor to go through each passing day with hope. There is no better remedy to prepare yourself for loss, It will always be painful, but a heart filled with hope can help you get back on your feet again sooner. Seasons will come and go, that's a necessity for growth. If you are passing through the dessert, have hope it shall come to pass.