Places in the Heart (and Mind) ...

Do you have places in your heart/mind where you go to escape when life is just too hard?

My main one this summer is the pool, of course. I imagine myself in the cool blue water, swimming and rolling and playing without a hint of disability. It is this feeling that calls me there day after day, even when my muscles are screaming for a break.

The pool is not the only "happy place" that I pull up in my mind when I need relief. There are other good memories, too. Some of my favorites:

• The days of my youth. I loved my childhood, with the long, lazy summer days spent in the yard reading or running or playing.
• 1985, the year I graduated from high school and entered those wonderful early days of college life.
• 1991, the year that Don and I met, dated, and married.
• The years when the children were younger and we traveled and took vacations and played together in the yard and turned every day into a new adventure.
• Every day of my life when I could walk.

Sometimes it's comforting to replay the scenes in my mind. Tonight, the pain is almost too much to bear. It swallows me in its savage wave of sorrow. It feels like all of the simple days are gone, and only the hard things are left. I wish I could rewind my life and live it all again, savoring the beautifully simple days that are now gone forever.

I'll be okay, of course. I just need to find the mental and physical energy to move past this latest life crisis. Prayers and happy thoughts are always appreciated.

:-) Sharon