In life, there are cycles of good and bad. Times when our lives seem joyful and easy, and times when we’re struggling through what seem like endless difficulties. Then there are times when the two seem to co-mingle. These are the times I call bittersweet. Perhaps you’ve had a bittersweet period in your own life? Usually it begins with something wonderful, followed immediately by something awful. You get a great promotion at work, then your spouse loses his or her job. Or you finally start making progress on your new fitness regime, and you pull a muscle, putting you out of commission for a week or two. A new baby is born into your family, and then a loved one passes away suddenly (or sometimes not so suddenly).
Currently, I find myself in a bittersweet period of my own. My husband and I recently purchased our first home. This has been a dream of ours for years, and we’ve worked hard to make it happen. Finally the dream came true, and we moved into our new home less than two weeks ago, eager to begin a new phase of our lives.
Then the hammer dropped. In the same week, we received news that two family members have been diagnosed with cancer. My...