Have you ever felt as though you’re plagued with a dark cloud that follows wherever you go? That is how I feel quite often. It’s like if something weird or unexpected were going to happen, it would happen to me. I’m not saying this to garner pity. It’s just true. I’ve come to terms with this being my life. We all say that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle….well, those of us who are religious inspired may make such a statement. Yet, I sometimes wonder for what on earth God is trying to build me? It must be something quite incredibly difficult, for I can’t imagine why one person needs to feel and endure the things felt. To be fair, I am not trying to trivialize what so, so many in our country, and especially across the globe, are trying to overcome. We all have battles; many of them incredibly cruel and unfair. Some are fought so silently and desperately hidden from view. Some are blatant and transparent. Whatever the struggle, that black cloud is our closest frenemy…..you know, the lesson that’s waiting to be learned, but the enemy who awaits our crumble under the pressure. It’s like the dangling gratification that is just beyond our grasp, and right when we are about to clasp our fingers around it, the enemy rips it from grip only to laugh and say “no, no….not so fast.” Is it so simple to think this is mind over matter? To think that if we just pray, all will be better? I trust in God. I believe in God. I KNOW God is holding me in his arms, just as he holds all of us. Yet, I still often feel like it is not simple enough to just say “stop it.” Stop thinking this way. Stop being negative. Stop waiting for the worst to happen. Stop expecting unhappiness. Don’t get me wrong, positivity absolutely makes a world of difference. But, I have to believe God expects us to do more than just be positive. He expects us to simplify our priorities. He expects us to focus on that which cannot be touched. Our feelings, our faith, our love…..none of that is tangible. It doesn’t solve all of the world’s tangible woes. You know the ones of which I speak. It’s the financial struggles that plague the daily lives of so many. It’s the suffering of a family member or pet whose age or health is in decline. It’s the job that is bringing more work that one person is able to physically manage. It’s the house that needs to be decluttered and cleaned. It’s the bed that needs to be made. At the end of the day, none of that matters. What really matters? It’s the hearts that bond together that truly matter. That bond is the ray of sunshine that pokes through the cloud of darkness. It is the deepest and purest of feelings within your heart that recognize the “easy” in life and relationships is found within the victories of struggle. The tiny ray of sunshine that pierces through the darkest of clouds may lift a world of sadness that has plagued so many. Look to that ray. It may just be God’s intangible gift to show you light through the darkness. Embrace the dark cloud. Embrace the hard. That is where true and divine happiness may be found.