Hand Soap

I tend to think of analogies while doing the most boring and mundane things!
I was refilling the bathroom hand soap dispenser tonight and while I was squeezing the upside down bottle, I occasionally had to let it bubble and breathe before I could squeeze more soap out.

Tonight, I feel like that bottle of soap, only life is not letting me bubble and breathe...I've been turned upside down, squeezed time and time again, with no chance to catch my breath, no rest between life's hold on me to gasp for air.
Yes, life is good, God is good and I am blessed beyond measure. Deep down, I believe all those things. But closer to my skin's surface, I feel surpressed by life's recent blows. Too many losses, too much change and not enough ground left to get a running start to wherever and whatever lies ahead.

"You're depressing me! Quit it!" you may be thinking to yourself. Sorry! Tonight I'm sharing the 'thoughts' and not the 'inspirations.'
"What would make you breathe? What would enable you to catch your breath?" you ask.
Simple things, really...They're simple, but not always attainable...and sometimes you have to wait for them. WAIT...a four-letter word! And the one I have the hardest time with.

"Well, what ARE they...the simple things?"

Courage- to rise above the tide.
Forgiveness- to move beyond the past.
Opportunities- to do what I do best, with the best God's given me--in life and in a career.

I cannot get my sister or mother back. I cannot change the mistakes I've made, take back the wrong words I've said or the wrong actions taken. I cannot get my previous job(s) back, even if I wanted them back. Once in my grip, my loved ones, my mistakes and fleeting successes are now gone, yet they still continue to grip me...They are still a part of who I am.
"Is there anything else? Any other simple thing that would help you have room to breathe again?"
A new bottle, full of new soap. Start over...again. As Scarlet O'Hara said, "Afterall, tomorrow is another day!"

So, don't worry about me. Surely there's the perfect opportunity out there for me, somewhere. I'll catch my second wind...no, I guess it would be my third or fourth.
No, don't you worry, for my mom and sister are free from their weak and diseased bodies. They are finally living in an eternity that was once just a faith-fed vision. I'll see them again one day and what a joyful day it will be!

Yes, tomorrow is another day...And while I may feel squeezed and used up and gasping for air, at least I'm soap!