Adding Color To A World of Beige

The most apt prophesy I have ever heard was on a greeting card that said:

 "Happy Birthday!  I am smiling because we are related"

  and on the inside it said

"I am laughing because there is nothing you can do about it."

Amen sister. Ain't that the truth!  We can choose our friends, we are blessed with some relatives, and we are stuck with the others.

I had just gone through my divorce when I saw this card and I laughed harder than I had in months.  So I purchased the card and sent it to the relative who deserved it the most.  The specific circumstances may be different for each of us, but we all have that one relative who ...let's just say....isn't the blessing we hoped for.

The person I reference shall remain nameless but this is a person who will cheat on their taxes, short change the cashier, sit on a bench in the mall to make fun of people just for entertainment, then tell me how righteous they are because they read the bible while, at the same time,  telling me how immoral I am because I am divorced.

This person had a predominant influence in my life when I was young.  I spent many years struggling to to live up to a set of standards that were, not only unachievable, but that I didn't agree with. It was like getting a coloring book with crayons but only being allowed to use the beige crayon.   By the age of 18 I had deviated from their expectations and began to follow my own path.  It was the best thing I have ever done but, since this person is judgmental, she has not been a significant part of my life since.  When my granddaughter was born out of wedlock she stopped being a part of my life at all.  This was actually a relief to me and may be a blessing for my granddaughter.  

“Life is like a box of crayons. Most people are the 8-color boxes, but what you're really looking for are the 64-color boxes with the sharpeners on the back. I fancy myself to be a 64-color box, though I've got a few missing. It's ok though, because I've got some more vibrant colors like periwinkle at my disposal. I have a bit of a problem though in that I can only meet the 8-color boxes. Does anyone else have that problem? I mean there are so many different colors of life, of feeling, of articulation.. so when I meet someone who's an 8-color type.. I'm like, "hey girl, magenta!" and she's like, "oh, you mean purple!" and she goes off on her purple thing, and I'm like, "no - I want magenta!"” John Mayer

I am not talking of deviating from our basic values but life is not about conforming to one way of living.  Blue is my favorite color but there are a myriad of colors to choose from.  If someone else's favorite color is different it is good because I don't want to live in a one color world.  My life today today is not perfect but it has depth, and color and love.  I would not change a thing, except the attitude of a few relatives.  The only life mistakes that I  regret are from a time when I was attempting color my world with only one crayon in a vain attempt to gain the acceptance of a relative whose standards I didn't agree with in the first place.  Today, my life is like opening up that big box of crayons and anticipating the possibilities.