My twin daughters turned 20 this weekend. Wow. There were ages and stages that flew by in a blink and others where I felt every second of every minute of every day. Raising children, walking alongside a life, takes every joy, every love, every fear, every insecurity, and every bit of awe you’ve ever felt in your own life and amplifies it a thousand fold.
Reflecting on their lives thus far prompted me to reflect on my own — my own first twenty years, and then the second, and now, more than halfway through the third. The changes that have taken place in each round — in me and in my family and in the world — well, I couldn’t have imagined most of it (and wouldn’t have believed some of it) had you told me early on.
I want my daughters to know that this life will break your heart wide open with its beauty and wonder in big ways and small. And while heart wide-open is the best way (in my humble opinion) to live — that also means it’s open to the kind of heartbreak that leaves lasting scars.
I want them to know they will see things they will never, ever forget. Some of those memories will warm their hearts and heal the places where they hurt. Some will be darker, returning again and again at 3 am. It’s part of the deal. Both/And.
The only way to get through this brutal and beautiful life is to embrace all of it, of course. Take it for what it is. Adapt when necessary. And always choose love.
xo,
Beth
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
— Rumi
(Watch/Listen to Helena Bonham Carter Read The Guest House Here)
So wonderful my dear friend. It's a beautiful journey indeed.