Lately I've been feeling pretty stressed out. I realize that I'm in a tangled mess of secrets & lies.

Secret: most nights are sleepless.
Lie: I can do this all by myself.
Secret: I'm frequently on the verge of tears.
Lie: I'm fine.

Some days I feel as though the tangled mess will unravel. Other times I have found allies in places I have least expected. These are places where I regain some strength. Most notably:

1. In the television show Army Wives, which I watched two episodes of last year and quickly dismissed as "unrealistic." I watched the season opener and shed many tears along with the "wives." Yes, it may not be a completely realistic view of the military life that I have come to know, but it shows the camaraderie and strength of spirit and character that I believe is exhibited by those who make their life in the military. I will watch this show and cry along with the women, get angry with them, and cheer on their successes. I'll pray for the real-life men and women who have inspired their television counterparts.

2. In a blog that I stumbled on. I came upon a website that is trying to get a life story from every person in the world on it (no small feat). While I wandered around their site, I stumbled upon the story of Matt, his wife Liz, and their daughter Madeline (www.mattlogelin.com). Madeline was born this past March; Liz died from an embolism the day after her birth. Matt's blog details life before, during, and after the highest high and lowest low of his life. I read his blog and cheer him on through the screen, awed by the eloquence of his sometimes raw words, the strangers who send him gifts and well wishes. The generosity of strangers is overwhelming, Matt has received care packages from strangers in far-flung places. I soon realized that they are cheering him on not to make him feel better, but because he has changed their lives. I wonder if he realizes how much of an impact he has made on so many?

3. In music. "I'm a survivor, I'm not gonna give up, I'm not gonna stop, I'm gonna work harder" (Destiny's Child), "Anyone that needs what they want, and doesn’t want what they need I want nothing to do with" (Gnarls Barkley), "what's meant to be will always find a way" (Trisha Yearwood), and "I'm not broke but you can see the cracks" (U2).

Secret: I don't feel like my complaints are valid. My husband is not at war, and he is alive and well. My circumstances could be worse. I love and I am loved. I am cared for, my husband is safe, my kids are safe. Who am I to complain about the fact that we are geographically separated? It doesn't seem fair.

That's something that I hear from many others as well—surely my circumstances aren't' as bad as yours, so it's not fair for me to complain. But that's my life—and yours. A series of events that bring joy, pain, happiness, sorry, enlightenment, or indifference. Who's to say that anyone's pain is any less than anyone else's? That's not for any of us to judge.

So I'll take my lessons where I find them, try to burn my stress where I can, and try to keep my chin up. To quote another memorable song lyric—"everything's gonna be all right" (Bob Marley).