Lemonade? Really?

We've all heard the adage, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade." What does that mean exactly? And perhaps more importantly is HOW do we do that? 
A lemon eaten by itself is sour and it makes us pucker. When it's cooked or used as an ingredient in a recipe, it's a wonderful flavor enhancer. 
This reminds me of how the Buddhists think of the muck that the lotus grows in. Without the muck, there would be no lotus; the lotus grows not in spite of but because of the muck.
Without life's lemons, there would be no lemonade.
In life we need the lemons and the muck. They are what help us grow and evolve.
How do we make lemonade when we're given lemons? I would offer that it can be a process and often we don't see how the lemons have served us until we've been drinking the lemonade for a while. Other times the lemonade completely alludes us. We sit with the lemons, tasting only the sour and not knowing how to make lemonade. So here are some thoughts.
Do your lemons have a theme? Is there a common thread that ties them together? Perhaps they sit in a bunch or come in a string of events. Look at each situation and parse out the commonalities, these are your teachers. Name your lemons. Name them and claim them. What are they revealing? From there you can decide how you wish to use them. 
Notice that lemonade doesn't discard the lemon, it uses the lemon as an enhancer, a tool of transformation. 
I truly believe that personal growth comes when we can see the lemons (life's challenges) and learn how to use them to make lemonade (turn them into opportunities). The next time life hands you lemons, perhaps you will be reminded that the lemonade is made not in spite of but because of the lemons.
In love and light,
Deborah