Beech Tree News Network

The word “bittersweet” causes me to think of a mixture of pleasure and pain. Bittersweet connections –for me – generally include more pleasure than pain. Life experiences usually bring about our bittersweet connections.

One example of a bittersweet connection just occurred. My first-born daughter arrived on June 17, a Saturday, like this year. That year, Father’s Day followed on Sunday, June 18, and my late husband’s birthday was on Monday, June 19. Those June dates provided good memories for that year and for many years following: sweet memories for which I am thankful. I look forward to these dates each year because I remember the blessing of a good husband and father and the blessing of my first daughter. Yet, grief has created a bittersweet connection for me to Father’s Day and my husband’s birthday.

Another example of a bittersweet connection was my reaction to hearing of a cure for hepatitis C. The FDA approved a pill that can cure hepatitis C in December 2013. A recent article on the Internet said: “The pill can cure up to an estimated 80 to 90% of Hep C patients in a matter of eight to 24 weeks when it's used in combination with another newer drug.” When I first heard about the cure, I was, of course, thankful that researchers had found something that works and would save so many lives. Nevertheless, I was sad that my husband did not benefit from the cure. It had simply been approved too late. Hepatitis C had caused my husband’s liver and kidneys to fail in 2011.

I believe most of us form bittersweet connections for many reasons with all kinds of things. Some of life’s events that may cause those connections are: loss of a loved one, divorce, loss of a job, or a perceived failure. Aimee Lou Wood said, “I think that’s what life is: happy and sad, bittersweet....” Perhaps my bittersweet connections are simply reminders of the full and blessed life I have lived.