When Life Gives You Lemons
Last week sucked. I know some people don't like that word, but then I didn't like last week either so I needed an appropriate descriptive word. To combat the stress, I found myself outside more, craving the wind in my hair and the birds singing their sweet songs of joy in my ears. Being outside is paramount, as I have found over the years that this is how God communicates his love to me. He sends flowers to brighten my day and mixes his palette of colors in the rays of the rising sun. Occasionally he even sends hidden mercy blessings that some might called coincidences. To me, these things just show God can't always control who gets lemons,AKA "bad circumstances", but I have discovered he is a particularly wonderful connoisseur of lemonade.
My work week had been trying, going from one room saving a mom and baby from a rapid-fire abruption type labor, to the solemn room down the hall of loss. Cheering one family on, while crying with the other. I wished there would have been a Superman phone booth in the hallway that I could have twirled myself in. Not changing my clothes, but my emotions as I moved briskly room to room. That shift left me emotionally and physically spent.
In addition I had been sparring with the disability office about my daughter's case, my migraines were worse and we had car trouble! I was thinking about tying a white flag to my car antenna hoping the universe would see my terms of surrender and stop it's surprise attack bombing. After such a terrible week, I found myself wandering the aisles of Walmart as we were out of everything but ramen and dog food . I didn't feel like shopping and sometimes the florescent lighting at Wally-world triggered my migraines. Putting on my special glasses, I felt like just getting back in the car! However, I was suddenly thrilled to see they had my favorite blood-red oranges. Their citrusy sharp scent filled my nostrils and lowered my heart rate a beat or two. As I put one pack in my cart something whispered, "Grab another, someone else might like those too". I whirled by the lemons and thought about getting a few. Earlier in the week, my daughter had said, " Remember when we had fresh lemons from someone's tree in Vegas? They were so good! We need to do that again. In fact someday we need to plant a lemon tree". I agreed with her that home grown lemons were delicious and really made the best lemonade. My thoughts were interrupted, though, when my phone rang. As I answered it, my thoughts drifted and I forgot to buy my daughter her treasured fruit!
Later at home, unloading my groceries, I was sad when I realized I had forgotten the lemons. Lifting the 2 bags of oranges, though, I saw my neighbor in his garage. He was a kindly older gentleman from the Philippines. I said, "Hey, would you like some Kara-Kara oranges? They are delicious!"
"Oh, yes! " he said and excitedly took them into his hands. "My wife loves these!"
I went back to the mundane task of carrying grocery bags. "Who invented these appendage ripping bags?"I muttered to myself as I lifted too much bag weight onto my weary worn fingers. My migraine was sneaking back ; stealing my happiness while its unwanted bass beat filled my already heavy eye sockets. I trudged up the driveway toward the house.
In addition I had been sparring with the disability office about my daughter's case, my migraines were worse and we had car trouble! I was thinking about tying a white flag to my car antenna hoping the universe would see my terms of surrender and stop it's surprise attack bombing. After such a terrible week, I found myself wandering the aisles of Walmart as we were out of everything but ramen and dog food . I didn't feel like shopping and sometimes the florescent lighting at Wally-world triggered my migraines. Putting on my special glasses, I felt like just getting back in the car! However, I was suddenly thrilled to see they had my favorite blood-red oranges. Their citrusy sharp scent filled my nostrils and lowered my heart rate a beat or two. As I put one pack in my cart something whispered, "Grab another, someone else might like those too". I whirled by the lemons and thought about getting a few. Earlier in the week, my daughter had said, " Remember when we had fresh lemons from someone's tree in Vegas? They were so good! We need to do that again. In fact someday we need to plant a lemon tree". I agreed with her that home grown lemons were delicious and really made the best lemonade. My thoughts were interrupted, though, when my phone rang. As I answered it, my thoughts drifted and I forgot to buy my daughter her treasured fruit!
Later at home, unloading my groceries, I was sad when I realized I had forgotten the lemons. Lifting the 2 bags of oranges, though, I saw my neighbor in his garage. He was a kindly older gentleman from the Philippines. I said, "Hey, would you like some Kara-Kara oranges? They are delicious!"
"Oh, yes! " he said and excitedly took them into his hands. "My wife loves these!"
I went back to the mundane task of carrying grocery bags. "Who invented these appendage ripping bags?"I muttered to myself as I lifted too much bag weight onto my weary worn fingers. My migraine was sneaking back ; stealing my happiness while its unwanted bass beat filled my already heavy eye sockets. I trudged up the driveway toward the house.
Suddenly, I heard an excited voice behind me. "Hello again!
"Would you like some lemons? They are from my sister's tree in California so they are exceptionally tasty".
"Oh, yes, what a coincidence! " I told him my daughter had just been wishing for fresh lemons that week from someone's tree." In fact, she even wants a lemon tree for herself! "
"She does?" he said. "Well, you aren't going to believe this but I have one for her. It also from my sister. She had extra trees. I can't plant it yet because I don't have a sprinkler system. My wife thought I was crazy bringing it back now. Now I'm wondering if it's for your daughter".
"Would you like some lemons? They are from my sister's tree in California so they are exceptionally tasty".
"Oh, yes, what a coincidence! " I told him my daughter had just been wishing for fresh lemons that week from someone's tree." In fact, she even wants a lemon tree for herself! "
"She does?" he said. "Well, you aren't going to believe this but I have one for her. It also from my sister. She had extra trees. I can't plant it yet because I don't have a sprinkler system. My wife thought I was crazy bringing it back now. Now I'm wondering if it's for your daughter".
Later, as my new friend, myself and my daughters were hauling the lemon tree across the rocks into our back yard, we all decided maybe this daughter should wish for more things..."Like maybe a million dollars?" she laughed. As I stood in the backyard with my new friend, and my perfect daughters, all admiring our new lemon "coincidence" tree, my leaky eyes dried up. I said, "We don't need a million dollars, God gave us everything we need. Let's go make some lemonade!"
July 30,2025
I find myself ironically in another period of "great tribulation". The universe is again sending stealth bombs that need the adjective "sucky" to illustrate their inherent destruction. In the last three months our family has endured hopitalizations, poor health, job stress and my personal favorite- car trouble! I had to take some time off work, recalibrate myself, and try to tame the wild horse called "my life". Spending time outside with my grandson, I am finding the joy of living more in the moment. Watching him marvel at the beauty of flowers, laughing at the silly dance of insects and the mesmerizing feel of water, I am reminded that some of the best things in life really are free. We round a corner in the backyard and a tiny tree comes into view. He looks it over and suddenly yells, "Ball!" "Yes, that is a ball!" I say, amazed at the yellow sphere growing from the semi-ragged bush. The beloved lemon tree gifted to us over seven years has finally started producing fruit!!! We had waited years, thinking perhaps it was a barren species, or maybe the heat in Vegas was too intense for the tiny tree, but we kept it anyways. It had ,after all, been a gift from a kindly neighbor. Now, I feel the sun rest on my head and the love of God feel my heart. There in the middle of the bright Vegas sun, I grab my grandson's hand and say, "Austin, I think God wants us to go make some lemonade!"
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