We all fight our battles - every day.

I was reminded again this morning how we all face our battles, how we fight them, sometimes openly, sometimes quietly.

I drop off A's flute at the flute teacher's class on Wednesday mornings so I enter the school grounds and leave them later rather than just dropping the kids at the car like other mornings. So I bumped into a friend of C's mom dropping off her grade 1 - her grade 3 obviously absent. He has now been sick for two weeks with a cold type thing - which triggered his asthma. And I very vividly remember driving like mad to our closest hospital with a little man C - just just breathing through an asthma and croup attack. A battle almost forgotten. With a huge relief and gratitude.

As we go our separate ways and old friend walks out of the school gate - her child struggling in grade 1. I give what advice I possibly can and a hug and feel grateful once again that all 3 kids seem to be happy and content. That our last one is now happily reading English in grade 2.

I remember sleepless nights (after the odd night of bad sleep last night), and I am grateful that we have won that battle. I remember tantrums and tears and feel the relief.

And so we fight our fights - we battle the things bigger than us. I am thankful every day that I have my partner in life to fight them with me. Some of us fought infertility, some fought the big cancer in our own lives or with family. Some fight the daily battle of neuro atypical children - for whom every little thing is just that little bit harder than for the rest. Some just fight the sads - the big black wolf that breathes in our necks. There are physical challenges and mental ones - anxiety chewing on our hearts, physical pain taking over at times.

Be gentle folks - we all have our battles.

I am also reminded of how I write about them less and less. Maybe because I do not always feel they are just my story or just my battle. Not because I choose rainbows and unicorns but because I am aware that  my story is their story too. We choose what to share. We protect ourselves.

So one can admit now and again that the tiredness in us is not only physical. But that we are recovering from battles - growing towards better and sunny shores. That although the battles are and were so very real time heels a lot and love cements us together. We are growing all the time - with the scraped shins and lost contact lenses. With full mark test scores and sad faces about a team loss. With awards won and one mark short of a competition final.

This is life. But the silver linings get more and more. The clouds burn away in the bright sun. Because in the end, the battles are won. Again and again. If we choose that silver lining - if we choose the battle. Because no battle can be won without the fight.

Whatever your battle may be I wish you the silver lining - the award at the end. We have all come far but we have a way to go. The war is yet to be won.