An Awww-some Winter Spark

What good is the warmth of summer
without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?
~John Steinbeck

This quote can be taken quite literally right now in middle Missouri. In the past few days, our temps have, once again, plummeted to single digits (or lower) and wind chills in the -20F range. Right about now, summer’s warmth is looking pretty darn sweet.

This quote can also be taken metaphorically in that is raises the question of how can we appreciate the blessings of life (warmth of summer) without experiencing the cold harshness of trials and suffering? I think it’s hard not to take life’s blessings for granted unless we experience life without them. Granted, some trials are blessings in disguise….maybe all trials are….but without a smoother road to compare them against, we never appreciate the times when life is less bumpy and stress-free.

I’ll give an example. Entrepreneur was diagnosed with renal cell cancer in 2014. He had a kidney removed December of 2014, and a tumor in his brain removed February of 2017. Although he’s adapting to his “new normal” with the oral chemo every day, he’s now acutely aware of how sweet life is. Would he feel the same if he’d not experienced the cold, sobering reminder that our life in this world is finite? Or, like so many of us, would he feel a bit complacent about life….assuming there are decades to live out hopes and dreams instead of possible only months or a few years?

Yin and Yang. There’s always a counter balance to everything in life. I pray we all will experience the warmth of the summer and enjoy the blessings God gives us every day. But, I’ll always wonder if those wonderful things in our lives become that much sweeter because we have the counter balance that causes us to be that much more appreciative.

To go along with these thoughts, I also found a quote from Mark Twain that is awesome as well:

What is joy without sorrow? what is success without failure? what is a win without a loss? what is health without illness? you have to experience each if you are to appreciate the other. there is always going to be suffering. it’s how you look at your suffering, how you deal with it, that will define you.

Annie at McGuffy’s Reader hosts a blog hop every Monday called Sparks. I’m finding that reading everyone’s “Sparks” is one of the highlights of my week. Her philosophy its simple:

The negative energy in the world has become thick and oppressive. Social media has become a part of this dark, negative storm. There is an obvious universal need for more positive energy and peace. And, we can all be part of this affirmative change.

Also blog hopping with Sandee’s Awww Mondays over at Comedy Plus.