The Bittersweet Symphony of Life

We spent this past weekend in the Seattle area visiting friends and family in a whirlwind three day trip. The first day we saw my parents new house that they are building on a very picturesque piece of property in North Bend. I am excited for them and the house will be pretty great when it is all done. After touring the house and standing for about thirty seconds in the ice cold creek behind their house, we headed back to their current apartment and then over to my sister's house for my niece Ella's first birthday. Despite Natalie's emotional breakdown, the day was filled with good times shared with friends and family. We ended the evening just sharing some stories and laughs with my sister and brother in law.
The next morning at church, Jamie and I were both in tears several times as their were many vivid reminders of a good friend of ours with very severe cancer. The signs and test that the doctors have run don't look good at this point. It is a long story, but their family has had an incredibly tiring year emotionally, spiritually and in every other way imaginable. We lived with this family for almost a year and a half when we were in the Philippines and we love them dearly. The rest of the day was good as we were able to again spend time with family. It is hard though, when the pain of loved ones is never far from your mind. the best way to describe it seems to be the words from a song that say "it's a bittersweet symphony this life". Life is a beautiful symphony, but part of what makes it beautiful in the end is the variety and change and the mixture of different sounds and rhythms and notes. Some of the notes by themselves are harsh and even ugly. Many of the moments of a symphony seem disconnected and disjointed like life often does. But we press on with the hope that our God, the great conductor of this symphony knows where the music is taking us and that he knows how all the parts will work together for a conclusion that in the ends creates a beautiful and meaningful experience. Even as some parts enter and leave the symphony at unexpected times, so life is full of relationships that seem to surprise us cause a great fluctuation of emotions.
We also got to share some time with a friend who is in an incredibly hard spot in life. While it is always good to see friends, it is hard to see them hurting. Yet in the midst of the pain we can find reasons to celebrate. To top it off, I got to talk to one of my best friends on the phone - a rare occurrence since he is in Cambodia. It made my heart excited to talk with him, but it was discouraging when our connection ended. While it is a huge blessing to have friends like him, it is hard to be away from them.
This may all be a bit random, but I guess I just wanted to express that I am feeling a bit melancholy today. While there is definitely a lot to be thankful for, my heart aches for those that I love who are experiencing great pain and trials and for those that I love who are simply far away.