Life is hard; then you die.
This saying has been in Hubbs’ repertoire the whole time I’ve known him (about three months longer than our marriage!) Being the Pollyanna that I am, I refused to believe this to be true. But, really, it is, isn’t it. Life is hard.
When we were newlyweds, I thought we were rich. Hubbs owned a big, Victorian house, had a nice car and a terrific job. He was a godly man. And handsome! I’d hit the marriage lottery.
What I didn’t know about this stranger I married was that he was an entrepreneur. I didn’t even know what that meant all those years ago. Eventually, though, he left his terrific job to start a short order printing company. The next couple of years were hard.
What I learned in those years was to trust God, trust my husband and trust myself. I learned to have faith in the future, and to enjoy the daily treasures of life. By that time, we had a newborn, so I was busy with his little signs of progress of each day. It was a really rough stretch in our marriage, but it was also one of the sweetest.
This past year, thanks to covid, life has been hard. People who for the first time began thinking of buying their own homes were struggling to pay their rent, thanks to their jobs being shut down. Fear, paralyzing fear about jobs and income and how the dreams that were forming in their lives were evaporating, caused panic. The down payments they’d been saving went to pay rent. The budget set aside for the new deck bought groceries. It’s been a terrifying year.
The good thing about this covid year is that couples have found strength in each other. Hard times bring the need for comfort from each other, working together, praying together, hoping together.
Because Hubbs has always had a “Life is hard; then you die” outlook on life, I suppose it was only natural that God would put me with him. I am too rosy, wanting joy and happiness, and glad tidings. I help him see more sunshine and he helps me keep my eyes on reality.
The treasure of these hard times is that we find out who we can trust so that, when the good times come again, our circle of friends may be smaller, but we’ll know they are trustworthy.
MDT/Diana Bowden Moore
PS: Hubbs’ sends this quote from John Lennon: Being honest may not get you a lot of friends, it’ll always get you the right ones.
Photo from freespots via Unsplash.
