70. Strength

Strength. Something we all lack. We all break down at some point. But then there's some of us that have more strength than others. Call me crazy, but I'm completely convinced that the younger you are, the more strength you have. Hear me out.

Babies, toddlers... they're so resilient. But more than that... they cry. A lot. They cry when they're sad. When they're mad. When they're frustrated. When they're hungry. Sometimes they cry for no reason at all. But they live their lives to the extreme. They cry when things aren't right but when they are, MAN are those kids happy. They laugh. They sing. They dance. No matter who's watching. And when someone's mean, they cry. And they bounce back. They know how to deal with emotion. And they know that crying isn't a lack of strength. Maybe it's just me, but being strong enough to cry is the ultimate sign of strength.

Today I witnessed my first medical emergency involving a child. And I couldn't cry. I couldn't really do anything, to be honest, but most of all, I couldn't cry. The doctor ran in from the delivery room with a tiny bundle, screaming "BABY!" and practically dropped her on the isolette bed. Then everyone flew into action. Intubation tools down the throat, arterial lines and IVs in her tiny blood vessels, NG tube down her nose, blood pressure cuffs and sat probes, about 20 people gathered around a person the size of a shoe all struggling to keep the little one breathing. Until the moment when they realized there was nothing they could do. When they called in the tiny chica's parents (wheeling in her mom on her hospital bed, complete with labor & delivery nurse working on the mom who was still recovering from delivery). When the grandma brought in "big brother" to meet his tiny baby sister. When all 20 doctors and nurses and respiratory therapists got out of the way just so they could get pictures of this little baby girl's 3 hours of life. THAT is when I realized where we all get our strength from. Somehow, even in life's most delicate moments, in those moments when no one can explain or rationalize what is happening, somehow we find strength. And even those of us that aren't entirely sure where it comes from know that it's something bigger. Something more.

It's God.



Today's sunny thing?
Strength

69. Meijer

We've all been there. Well, at least, those of us in the MidWest. And I'm pretty sure we all agree that it is among the Top 3 stores of all time (tied with Target for #1). They have everything. Today I needed milk, bananas, Q-tips, a watch, thank you cards, and to return some bottles. Meijer is one of very few places that let me get and do ALL of those things in one stop. They have THE best coloring books, several options for turtle food, an adorable baby section, an addicting sports & games section, kitchenwares, cheap groceries, and a huge toy selection. Not to mention my favorite: hallmark cards! I could literally live in a Meijer (they have furniture!) and be completely happy about it.

68. Best Friends

What would we do without them? They're the ones you can call at any time of day or night, and they'll answer, knowing that something is up. You can be completely exhausted, but then they want to talk and so you crawl into your bed together and stay up until 4am talking into the dark about anything and everything with no desire to fall asleep. They're the ones that you think of at the mention of just a word, like "exhilarating" (in regards to Jade's bathing suit) or "crows" (you know you love them James) or "dora" (yes Kelly, still makes me think of you). They're the ones that you don't feel awkward texting "what are you doing?" because you're bored, and the ones that leave the back door unlocked so you can visit. They're the ones that you'll lose sleep over, randomly buy calendars for, and think of a hundred times a day (because there are far too many inside jokes floating around). There's a lot of important things in this world but best friends surpass just about all of them.

Today's Sunny Thing?
Best Friends

67. Candles

A certain chico I know got me what is probably my favorite candle ever so far and in considering writing about it for Today's Happy Thing, I realized just how much I reallyyy like candles.

I light candles when I'm stressed. When I want to pray. When I need to study. When I write a paper. When I'm reading. When I'm sitting and writing in the blog. When I want to feel happy.

Winter, in my opinion, was MADE for candles. My apartment doesn't have a fireplace (go figure) so it's the next best thing. I don't know what it is about candles that make me feel so at peace, but my focus is never better than when I have candles lit. Thus why I light them to read and study and pray.

The particular candle in my picture happens to smell like a Christmas tree and even though it's not Christmas, it makes me SO very happy and is the one Christmas-y thing that is not getting put away in a closet until next Advent rolls around. (Well, maybe the fact that my favorite chico got it for me has a littleeee bit to do with it). But regardless, it is a candle, and one that makes my heart feel just a bit lighter.

Today's Sunny Thing?
Candles