Blog borrowing

I borrowed this from someone else's blog who has been through a lot more than I will ever go through and I really wanted to share.  It is from "The Moments we Stand" blog and she is amazing.  You can read it in its entirety here http://themomentswestand.blogspot.com/

"We are not going to choose our trials, we do not know what tragedies lie ahead in our path. We all have our "crap". Some may never be asked to share with the world what they are going through, and others might wish that they could... but that doesn't take away the fact that your pain is real, and hard.
We don't know what someone is really living. They post on the web, and show in public, a side of themselves that they want the world to see. I have been there! It doesn't mean there isn't pain and fear hiding behind their closed doors.
We see the smiles of their pictures of their trip to the Bahamas... but we don't see the credit card bill, that they argue over in the late hours of their night, that got them there. We see their perfect hair do's and spectacular outfits on all the pictures of their children... but we don't see the screams and tears that it might have taken to get them there. You stare at photos online of your friend's baby's first smile... Thinking 'what is wrong with my baby? Why doesn't she smile like that?', but you didn't see that two seconds after this smile was captured, that baby had a blow out that got poop all over everyone in the room. You see others in dream relationships... posting pictures every hour of their perfection. You don't see the pain in their heart that their partner has a pornography addiction that has been pushing them away from each other when the cameras are put away.
We all have our struggles. It is easy to watch another on Facebook, or even in real life and wish that we had what they do. Truth is... they might be doing the same thing, but about you. As I watched the reality family living out their every day life on that show, I had begun to wish that I could have what they had. Their struggles seemed simple compared to what I felt in my own. What I failed to realize was.... I was living someone else's dream. Maybe not the part where my husband was murdered or he was cheating on me, or any of the bumps in MY road... but there were people watching me, wishing they could just have a baby. There were people watching me who simply just wished that they had someone to love.... to watch blow out their candles on their birthday.
What battles do we fight... that one day if we look back and they are gone... we will miss? We will see that they were trivial and small. What mountains seem hard to climb... only because we are building them ourselves? What 'crap' do we constantly complain about that really doesn't matter? Save your fight for the things that do, and for the people who aren't on your team; Fight less with the ones who need you to see their worth and love more of the ones who can't find it in themselves.
We need to stop living our life to take pictures to show the world... and start enjoying the moments that are real. Take pictures to remember those moments instead of staging pictures that fake them. The next time you pitty another... or wish that you were them... remember that they have their own darkness that tries to destroy them. They too have a story, that might be harder to bear than the one you try to forget. Maybe you will never see their crap.... but it doesn't mean that it doesn't stink.
Even being a parent comes with so many joys, but also holds a lot of struggles and heart ache. As parents, sometimes we have to take the leap of faith that we trust our children to write their own stories. As spouses we have to jump in, with both feet, and trust and love. As children we have to look to our parents and the wisdom and counsel they have because of their love for us and their years of experience. Taking a leap is hard. I like the power of control and knowing that I am in charge of what happens to me. The truth is... I am not. If nothing else... this is the lesson I have learned. I cannot control what storms rage around me... my power lies in who I choose to become regardless of it. All I can do is MY best for me... and try to be there for others who are doing the best with what they have. I can give counsel and I can offer prayers... but ultimately I have to take a leap and let it go. That feeling is vulnerable and it is scary.... but relationships are so rewarding in so many ways when you can let go of the things that are not in your control. Healthy relationships are a series of leaps of faith. Faith that they are honest; faith that they will be true. Heavenly Father doesn't ask us to take those leaps with a promise that we will never fall. Some days will suck. Sometimes the leaps of faith will end with a crash... but we can't let our fear of getting tangled up...stop us from living with faith. Sometimes our leaps will leave us straddling in pain... but that doesn't mean they weren't worth taking. We must do our best to give it our all. Take the Leap. Find the smile.
Parenthood is going to be hard, just like my show that I had come to love, we are going to have highs and lows. The struggles are going to weigh us down at times. If you are blessed with the opportunity to live that blessing... take the leap. Give it your all. Every moment of every day, be the parent your kids deserve. Even when they are blowing out candles that you never thought you would watch them put out alone.... take a leap and smile for all the love that is in their eyes as they look up at you for the reassurance that it is a wonderful world. You may be watching them alone in your pain... but you are not alone. Lives pains are all around you. They may look like they are smiling on the outside, but inside they may be hurting just like you are. Life can be exhausting, it can seem unfair... but allow yourself to live the little joys that are still sitting all around you. They are waiting for you to take a leap and smile for them.

Spend less time on the dreams that you have stopped dreaming.... and more on the ones that you can make right now. Find joy in living the life and being the you that you are today. Don't wait around to find yourself... or wait for the year that will bring you the "life you deserve". Let life deserve all of you right now. Forget about the yesterdays where it was easy to laugh; Forget about the tomorrows that might bring you to a brighter one; smile for the todays and the moments you stand. Smile for the family you have.... even if it is just you. You may feel lonely, you maybe all you have left... so look in the mirror and smile for the fact that you are worth smiling for... even when there is no one there to grin back. Find the wonder in the world. You might be living the glory days right now, but missing them as you wait for them to come. Don't wait... because tomorrow might be too late. Take the opportunity to show all the eyes who watch you that even when it hurts... you can smile for them. Don't let a moment pass that you don't soak it all in. The world can be wonderful even when it is hard. The trees might not look green from where you are standing... so find a way to take yourself a little higher where you can get a different view. Take a leap and find joy as you soar.... one smile at a time."