Sunburns

Q: What's the definition of eternity?
A: 4 blondes at a 4-way stop.

The boys and I spent a good part of the day at a local park that has a lake-front "beach". They spent hours playing with friends in the water, and although I had multiple containers of sunscreen, I forgot to put it on any of us. We got fried. It's embarrassing enough to get burned when you're a Floridian, but to let helpless children, in your care, burn is unthinkable, unless you're a tourist from Wisconsin.

I had to face my shame when Byron got home from work, and he put another coat of aloe gel on all three of us. So, tonight, I'm thinking about pain. And I'm thinking about how, at times this evening, I've forgotten that I was burned - until I bumped or scratched a sunburned area, and then I remember how sensitive that area is.

Pain in life can be like that for me ,too. I forget I've been wounded or hurt until something bumps or scratches the sensitive areas of my life. And when I've been hurt, I want to isolate - the exact opposite of what I need to do. I hate putting on that aloe gel stuff - it's cold, at first, and until it dries, I hate how it feels. But, it helps heal the burns - like spending time with good friends. Today I helped some sunburns of life heal by spending time with a good friend - it's like aloe for the soul.

When we get isolated from the ones who really help protect us from the burns of life, we can get fooled by the wind and the cloudiness, and not realze how much sun-damage we've gotten. We can think we're okay, only to realize, too late, that we've gotten fried. We all need proper boundaries against the relationships that don't make us better - the toxic people who fool us into the surprise "burns" on overcast days. But, if we're vigilant, we can find those "aloe" friends who can provide protection and shade from the sunburns of life.

Sandi, thanks for being an "aloe" kind of friend.

Peace!

Q: How can you tell if a blonde is a good cook?
A: She can get a pop-tart out of the toaster in one piece.