Have you Noticed I've Been Acting Weird?

I love that I have friends that will tell me when I'm being weird.  

I got called out the other day and she was right. 

I have been acting weird lately. 

It all started in January (the perfect time to begin).

Something about the stillness of that month after the hurried, harried season of Christmas always lends itself to reflection.

But this January was especially rough.

2013 was the worst year of my life. 

I experienced more loss and grief in one year than all of my other 35 years combined. 

It was like I had an awakening.  

I realized there were some details to my life that needed tending to so I began seeing a counselor to help me sort through all the yucky parts of life.  

As I process everything, I have found myself craving solitude, which leads to the weirdness.  

I'm definitely not a solitude kind of gal, but this season of my life requires it.  

So, if I seem withdrawn or distant, feel free to call me out on how weird it is, because for me, it is.

But know that it's just a season.

I have been experiencing God's most tender, loving- kindness and I know I will look back and cherish this season of growth and awareness.

"Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.
When the great oak is straining in the wind, the boughs drink in new beauty
And the trunk sends down deeper root on the windward side.
Only the soul who knows the mighty grief can know the mighty rapture.
Sorrows come to stretch out spaces in the heart for joy."
--- Edwin Markham