Mushrooms

My yard had a lot of shrubs and trees in it when the last owners bought it. They went through a lot of work taking those out and putting in beautiful grass.

With all the rain we've had lately, it's pretty obvious where all the old plants used to be.

Mushrooms are a symptom of an underlying issue. When you have mushrooms in your lawn, it usually means there are old roots, tree stumps, etc. under your lawn that are rotting away. Mushrooms are ugly, but they are beneficial. They feed off that rotting material, breaking it down - helping the decomposition.

You can look at those mushrooms and see ugliness. Or, you can choose to see them for their good.

Very much like life.

We all have our underlying issues - those tough things we've been through in life that can rot away at us.

My parents split up when I was 6 years old. My dad has a lot off issues that have affected my life. I dated a couple of abusive guys in my younger years. My first marriage was far from happy. I went through 8 1/2 years of infertility, lost my sweet foster-baby, finally got pregnant 2 months after marrying Surfer Pirate, just to lose the baby at 7 weeks. And on top of all that, I lost my beloved only sibling and my wonderful step-father when they were much too young.

When we grieve and have sorrow, it shows. Crying causes your face to be red and puffy. Your eyes can have bags under them. Smiles are hard to come by. Your shoulders droop. A lot of times you'll choose to wear baggy, comfortable clothes rather than looking stylish. You might walk a little slower. Like mushrooms growing in a lawn, these are all signs of what lingers under the surface.

But grieving is a good thing. Tears are cleansing. If we allow ourselves to deal with the pains in our lives, we can progress past them. Sorrow is a natural part of life. People will do things that hurt us. Loved ones die. But through these experiences, we can learn how to enjoy the good things we have in life. We can cling tighter to the people who are important to us. We can have empathy for others when they grieve the things in their lives.

Our sorrows and struggles actually make us better people. Through our sorrows, we can have even better lives.

We also have to learn that it takes time. I know that it will take many years for the mushrooms in my yard to get through all those old roots and things under my lawn. When challenges come into my life, I know it will take time to get through them. Do I still mourn my sister? Of course. Do I still have problems stemming from a difficult first marriage? Absolutely. Do I still even sometimes deal with issues I have that started when I was 6 and my parents split up? Sometimes, I do.

But I choose to let those things make me a better person. I have more love in my heart for others. I value the blessings I have in my life. I take the hard things that have happened to me and learn from them.

And I know that some days, it's okay to let the mushrooms show.