A couple of weekends ago, I was up north in Traverse for a girls’ weekend and we decided to include a winery amongst our activities. (I know…go figure!!). As I was sitting there I was reminded of a story I had shared a few years ago that I thought warranted repeating. It went something like this…
Last week while I was up at family camp in Arcadia Michigan, we had a day out of camp and decided to go wine tasting!! I was very content bellied up to the bar, just enjoying the variety of tastings at one of the wineries, but my mother-in-law who was joining us, is always one for needing the details. So she was asking the young man behind the bar questions about the grapes and how they possibly survived this summer with all the hot temperatures and such little rain…his answer surprised all of us. The way he explained it to us is that the harder the grapes have to work the better the wine they produce. In other words, the more challenging the environment they find themselves in i.e. sandy soil and lack of rain, the better and stronger the grapes become in the process of trying to survive.
Just thought it was another lesson from nature for all of us. So often we are tempted to give up the fight when the “conditions” we find ourselves in are less than perfect but maybe during that struggle to rise above our less than perfect conditions (relationship challenges, health issues, financial set-backs, stubborn unwanted pounds) we too grow stronger. I think back to being diagnosed with fibromyalgia and at the time it felt like a death sentence and yet as I look back, it was indeed a blessing. It forced me to fight to bring balance back to my life and I can say without question, that I am a stronger person in many areas of life today because of that fight.
So maybe have a glass of wine tonight and as you do so, think about how hard those grapes had to struggle to make that wine taste so good…and realize that that fight you are fighting is only making you stronger as well!!!
Cheers!!!
