Wow! Did 2013 just come and go?
Thank goodness!
It wasn't one of my favorite years. In fact, in many ways it was one of the worst yet.
Health challenges, furlough challenges, work craziness, house repairs and selling challenges, death of loved ones, and even some despair about just about everything going on.
Yet, some good things happened along the way - relationships are intact, marketing skills are improved, awards won, and I felt closer to family along the way.
So, what will 2014 bring?
It started off with a disturbing phone call and the water heater breaking down. Oh, and feeling like a sick zombie in bed for a week.
Unbelievable.
But, I'm in good spirits. Secret happinesses have already come this week. I'm closing out a ton of projects at work and will be able to focus on 2-3 big priorities. Plus, I've got BIG goals.
It's not all bad. It's half good.
There will be challenges this year, but I'm ready. The blogging might not increase. I'm shirking back a bit and not listening to what everyone else is doing. I need to re-find myself.
Here's to 2014!
Showing posts with label trials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trials. Show all posts
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Ah Winter - and the story of the 10.5 hour commute
Ah, beautiful! Who wouldn't want to wake up on a sunny Thursday morning...
to bask in the rays of the sun
from the warmth of the house...
while looking out at the beautiful snow covered trees?
It was a beautiful sight to behold, but to stop here would leave off the most important part of the story - how it came to be that I was able to take this picture from my bed late in the morning.
Where shall I begin - long story alert...
The afternoon before (Wednesday, January 26th), the office closed early, and here I am about 3 hours in to my commute a little after 7:00 p.m.:
Realizing all the major routes (395, 95, 495) were closed:
Around 8 p.m. when I thought a UFO was over the stoplight - and I caught the green sky on video:
Me talking again at 8:50 p.m. after some people pushed me up a hill and when I thought I was a mile from GMU (which I wasn't):
Luckily, I had peanut butter cookies:
9:24 p.m. at a strip mall parking lot (no gas station and almost on empty):
Lots of people stuck in a parking lot of all places. It doesn't look like much snow, but whatever it was (snow,ice,slush, rain), it was not cooperating with our cars.
10:46 p.m. - already forgetting what date it was:
Realizing that I should probably show what my view was for about 10.5 hours:
Hand exercises at 11:18 p.m. to stay occupied:
Took a picture to have a break from the video setting:
11:35 p.m. and I'm so over the whole experience:
Don't laugh at that last one - I was going crazy.
Sitting in the same spot - at almost midnight:
Turning off the car - almost out of gas:
Grown man going to the restroom (or not) right in front of us:
I'm not the only one taking pictures and videos along the way:
12:33 in the morning -a glimpse of the university:
So, if you got to this point (which most people probably didn't), you know that there was no way I was going in to work the next day after arriving home around 2 a.m.
But, blessings abound -good samaritans all over the place, I didn't run out of gas (shocking since I had only put $10 in an empty tank the day before) and I got home safely.
Here's to little traffice adventures and traffic inspired sick days....though I actually did work a bit the next day..but, from home and in my bed (which is where I took the pictures from the first part of the post).
to bask in the rays of the sun
from the warmth of the house...
while looking out at the beautiful snow covered trees?
It was a beautiful sight to behold, but to stop here would leave off the most important part of the story - how it came to be that I was able to take this picture from my bed late in the morning.
Where shall I begin - long story alert...
The afternoon before (Wednesday, January 26th), the office closed early, and here I am about 3 hours in to my commute a little after 7:00 p.m.:
Realizing all the major routes (395, 95, 495) were closed:
Around 8 p.m. when I thought a UFO was over the stoplight - and I caught the green sky on video:
Me talking again at 8:50 p.m. after some people pushed me up a hill and when I thought I was a mile from GMU (which I wasn't):
Luckily, I had peanut butter cookies:
9:24 p.m. at a strip mall parking lot (no gas station and almost on empty):
Lots of people stuck in a parking lot of all places. It doesn't look like much snow, but whatever it was (snow,ice,slush, rain), it was not cooperating with our cars.
10:46 p.m. - already forgetting what date it was:
Realizing that I should probably show what my view was for about 10.5 hours:
Hand exercises at 11:18 p.m. to stay occupied:
Took a picture to have a break from the video setting:
11:35 p.m. and I'm so over the whole experience:
Don't laugh at that last one - I was going crazy.
Sitting in the same spot - at almost midnight:
Turning off the car - almost out of gas:
Grown man going to the restroom (or not) right in front of us:
I'm not the only one taking pictures and videos along the way:
12:33 in the morning -a glimpse of the university:
So, if you got to this point (which most people probably didn't), you know that there was no way I was going in to work the next day after arriving home around 2 a.m.
But, blessings abound -good samaritans all over the place, I didn't run out of gas (shocking since I had only put $10 in an empty tank the day before) and I got home safely.
Here's to little traffice adventures and traffic inspired sick days....though I actually did work a bit the next day..but, from home and in my bed (which is where I took the pictures from the first part of the post).
Friday, December 17, 2010
Humbling Experiences
Here's another post from draft mode.
___________
At this time of year, I'm going through a lot of reflection about the past few months. They haven't been the greatest. And, yet the lessons learned are necessary for making 2011 a success.
In the past couple of weeks I've had an unemployed friend cry on my shoulder about feeling useless. I've accompanied another to the store because they were too embarrassed to go alone and use "food stamps" in front of everyone. Another friend shared how she was on the verge of losing her home to foreclosure and she hadn't found a job in six months. Another starts every single day with a slew of phone calls from credit agencies and the calls pile up to a couple hundred a day. In my mind, that is the equivalent to having school yard bullies run up to you every 10 minutes throughout the day calling you names and making you feel stupid.
I've tried to help. I've hugged, I've cried, I've given until I had no more to give. And yet, it often doesn't feel like enough. In some cases, I've taken on their despair, their debt, their embarrassment. Though not fully, I have felt their pain. It becomes my pain.
It is all necessary.
Humbling even.
To feel those feelings. To be there even when it is tiring, draining, and tough.
My empathy has grown and judgemental comments come out of my mouth a lot less.
I'm frugal. I can't take friends out to dinner or contribute like I had before, but I can now make a fairly good stew and am getting creative with the food storage closet.
My gratitude for my congregation has gone up because their help has directly and indirectly helped me. People quietly give more than we know and I know that now.
I am content with fewer possessions and can keep some of my techno gadgets for longer than in the past.
My outfits are getting old, but I'm learning how to accessorize from my closet to give them a fresh look even if to hide a hole or a stain.
I'm re-learning how to write more "thank you" notes and follow up with people faster, even if I've been in non-stop meetings all day and am mentally exhausted at the end of each day. Why? Because I'm re-realizing how important it is to get daily support and love.
None of this is new. But, I'm re-learning things that I've learned in the past in deeper ways. Meaningful ways.
I'm not out of it yet and more importantly, most of my friends aren't out of it yet.
But, they will get through. The friend that was going to lose the house called and said they are giving her time to straighten things out and a great job came along the same week!
Miracles still happen, but sometimes we have to go through humbling experiences along the way.
Some of us are hoping that we can get fully humble so "this too shall pass" and that we'll carry those lessons with us when times look up.
Here's hoping all is well with you.
___________
At this time of year, I'm going through a lot of reflection about the past few months. They haven't been the greatest. And, yet the lessons learned are necessary for making 2011 a success.
In the past couple of weeks I've had an unemployed friend cry on my shoulder about feeling useless. I've accompanied another to the store because they were too embarrassed to go alone and use "food stamps" in front of everyone. Another friend shared how she was on the verge of losing her home to foreclosure and she hadn't found a job in six months. Another starts every single day with a slew of phone calls from credit agencies and the calls pile up to a couple hundred a day. In my mind, that is the equivalent to having school yard bullies run up to you every 10 minutes throughout the day calling you names and making you feel stupid.
I've tried to help. I've hugged, I've cried, I've given until I had no more to give. And yet, it often doesn't feel like enough. In some cases, I've taken on their despair, their debt, their embarrassment. Though not fully, I have felt their pain. It becomes my pain.
It is all necessary.
Humbling even.
To feel those feelings. To be there even when it is tiring, draining, and tough.
My empathy has grown and judgemental comments come out of my mouth a lot less.
I'm frugal. I can't take friends out to dinner or contribute like I had before, but I can now make a fairly good stew and am getting creative with the food storage closet.
My gratitude for my congregation has gone up because their help has directly and indirectly helped me. People quietly give more than we know and I know that now.
I am content with fewer possessions and can keep some of my techno gadgets for longer than in the past.
My outfits are getting old, but I'm learning how to accessorize from my closet to give them a fresh look even if to hide a hole or a stain.
I'm re-learning how to write more "thank you" notes and follow up with people faster, even if I've been in non-stop meetings all day and am mentally exhausted at the end of each day. Why? Because I'm re-realizing how important it is to get daily support and love.
None of this is new. But, I'm re-learning things that I've learned in the past in deeper ways. Meaningful ways.
I'm not out of it yet and more importantly, most of my friends aren't out of it yet.
But, they will get through. The friend that was going to lose the house called and said they are giving her time to straighten things out and a great job came along the same week!
Miracles still happen, but sometimes we have to go through humbling experiences along the way.
Some of us are hoping that we can get fully humble so "this too shall pass" and that we'll carry those lessons with us when times look up.
Here's hoping all is well with you.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Silver Linings - or not so much
They say that clouds have silver linings. Well, at least that is what they say when bad stuff happens and you are expected to find the good in it.
I think that sometimes the silver is tinted a dull gray, but perhaps I need to get into a better mindset.
Today I'd say is a dull gray with a glimpse of silver tint on the other edge of wherever I'm located. How is that for trying to be positive?
Actually, I'm not as down and out as I'm portraying myself.
The real title of this post should probably be - "Condos, FICO, stocks, and too high fillings." But, that doesn't sound too interesting.
Right now I'm at home trying to figure out if the soft ceiling above my master bath is my problem or that of the person upstairs. This is when I wish I was renting. I would just call it in, get to work, and someone would appear and repair and I would have no bill. But, alas, now I get to deal with neighbor (which is fine), condo association and a leak that most likely isn't mine. Of course, this turns into a feeling of why do I have a $300,000 mortgage for a little two bedroom, two bath house anyway? And, why is there wind coming through the window when I have thick blinds and curtains and do the people really need to vacuum the hallways right exactly when I start my conference calls?
See, one little crack in the ceiling creates all these emotions.
And, here we have a FICO score coming in around the mid-600s when I am one of those people that always has a high score and creditors love me. Somehow I was double billed on an X-ray a year ago and one bill was sent to a collection agency. I won't say how much, but most of my creditors have lowered my accessible credit by thousands of dollars citing my bad credit. The neglectful radiology center says "we apologize and we are sending a note to the three credit bureaus to correct the situation." Um, thanks? So, I'm out of thousands of dollars of emergency credit AND have a low credit score because of your mistake? I'll pretend to not be mad.
Oh, and not to blame anyone in my cube farm, but a dear co-worker had a candy bowl out the last few months that I walked by and ate from in times of stress. My lack of self-control caused a couple of cavities, not just from the candy, but also because I've started clenching my mouth in times of stress and it has broken down the sturdiness of some of my teeth. A few days ago I got two taken care of after multiple shots of numbing medicine. Second day, not so lucky. Multiple tries and their efforts still caused sharp pains to rip through my gums. So, off to work I went with a sideways mouth and raging headache. To top it all off, I'm not really someone who likes candy. I just ate it because it was there and to quench possible bad breath.
On top of this, the dentist hasn't quite filed down one of the fillings to the original tooth's shape. So, as we all know, little changes in teeth, gums or tongue feel like huge boulders or disturbances even if something on them is ever so slightly off.
Did I mention I still have a headache? It must be all these Arctic weather fronts moving through our area?
Stocks I just threw in because the news talks about how much they went up last year, but that is only a gain if you bought all of your stock last year. Goodness, all the dollar cost averaging in the past means that all the gains last year just put my portfolio where it was at in 2006. I should be happy why?
I'm already a sign of bad luck this week.
Or, am I?
Here's the silver part:
1 - Got to go into work late two days in a row and so I actually saw the sunshine those two days.
2 - Today I'm at home working (except for this 10 minute break) while I get this plumbing issue straightened out. I'll probably get ten times more completed outside of the cube farm.
3 - My credit score should only go up from here.
4 - I have a job.
5 - If I need to, I can go lay down and take a nap to get rid of this headache.
6 - My neighbors are wonderful.
7 - I'm not in foreclosure.
8 - I ate pancakes for breakfast.
9 - My bathroom is now clean, because you always have to clean when you know people are coming over to fix something in your house.
And, the 10th of the 10 ten reasons this messed up week has silver linings is:
10 - You are either happy that I have a life like yours or happy that you don't.
Which reminds me of a quote - "The only good thing about being imperfect is the joy it brings to others."
Have a joyous day!
I think that sometimes the silver is tinted a dull gray, but perhaps I need to get into a better mindset.
Today I'd say is a dull gray with a glimpse of silver tint on the other edge of wherever I'm located. How is that for trying to be positive?
Actually, I'm not as down and out as I'm portraying myself.
The real title of this post should probably be - "Condos, FICO, stocks, and too high fillings." But, that doesn't sound too interesting.
Right now I'm at home trying to figure out if the soft ceiling above my master bath is my problem or that of the person upstairs. This is when I wish I was renting. I would just call it in, get to work, and someone would appear and repair and I would have no bill. But, alas, now I get to deal with neighbor (which is fine), condo association and a leak that most likely isn't mine. Of course, this turns into a feeling of why do I have a $300,000 mortgage for a little two bedroom, two bath house anyway? And, why is there wind coming through the window when I have thick blinds and curtains and do the people really need to vacuum the hallways right exactly when I start my conference calls?
See, one little crack in the ceiling creates all these emotions.
And, here we have a FICO score coming in around the mid-600s when I am one of those people that always has a high score and creditors love me. Somehow I was double billed on an X-ray a year ago and one bill was sent to a collection agency. I won't say how much, but most of my creditors have lowered my accessible credit by thousands of dollars citing my bad credit. The neglectful radiology center says "we apologize and we are sending a note to the three credit bureaus to correct the situation." Um, thanks? So, I'm out of thousands of dollars of emergency credit AND have a low credit score because of your mistake? I'll pretend to not be mad.
Oh, and not to blame anyone in my cube farm, but a dear co-worker had a candy bowl out the last few months that I walked by and ate from in times of stress. My lack of self-control caused a couple of cavities, not just from the candy, but also because I've started clenching my mouth in times of stress and it has broken down the sturdiness of some of my teeth. A few days ago I got two taken care of after multiple shots of numbing medicine. Second day, not so lucky. Multiple tries and their efforts still caused sharp pains to rip through my gums. So, off to work I went with a sideways mouth and raging headache. To top it all off, I'm not really someone who likes candy. I just ate it because it was there and to quench possible bad breath.
On top of this, the dentist hasn't quite filed down one of the fillings to the original tooth's shape. So, as we all know, little changes in teeth, gums or tongue feel like huge boulders or disturbances even if something on them is ever so slightly off.
Did I mention I still have a headache? It must be all these Arctic weather fronts moving through our area?
Stocks I just threw in because the news talks about how much they went up last year, but that is only a gain if you bought all of your stock last year. Goodness, all the dollar cost averaging in the past means that all the gains last year just put my portfolio where it was at in 2006. I should be happy why?
I'm already a sign of bad luck this week.
Or, am I?
Here's the silver part:
1 - Got to go into work late two days in a row and so I actually saw the sunshine those two days.
2 - Today I'm at home working (except for this 10 minute break) while I get this plumbing issue straightened out. I'll probably get ten times more completed outside of the cube farm.
3 - My credit score should only go up from here.
4 - I have a job.
5 - If I need to, I can go lay down and take a nap to get rid of this headache.
6 - My neighbors are wonderful.
7 - I'm not in foreclosure.
8 - I ate pancakes for breakfast.
9 - My bathroom is now clean, because you always have to clean when you know people are coming over to fix something in your house.
And, the 10th of the 10 ten reasons this messed up week has silver linings is:
10 - You are either happy that I have a life like yours or happy that you don't.
Which reminds me of a quote - "The only good thing about being imperfect is the joy it brings to others."
Have a joyous day!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Missionary Experience - A video
One of my friends from work/church posted this link on Facebook:
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html#naisi_zhao
Basically, her friend created the video of a Mormon missionary in Chinatown, New York.
It brought back a lot of memories.
Right now my job is mentally tough. Really, really mentally tough. I'll write about it more at a later date since it is not appropriate right now. And, I'm not so stupid to think that no one from work is reading this blog.
Anyway, besides this job, the mission was one of the most mentally tough portions of my life. The first few months were so hard that I was sure it was time for the end of the world to come because I was confident "the end" would be less painful.
Why was it tough? It is hard to even remember because the good experiences overshadowed the actual challenges of every day.
Perhaps it was the fact that people hated you for at least 12 hours every day. Every where we would go people who had never spoken to us would ridicule us, lie to us, throw food at us (from school buses), curse us (swearing and literal witch types), and try to prove to us how horrible we were and how we were brainwashed. That was mentally tough. I still remember a moment where someone kicked us out of their house after we had become friends and threatened to burn our books right in front of us. It was one of those piercing feelings that went deep into the soul, but from it came powerful convictions. I needed to make a choice to stand for something because the opposition was strong.
Then, there were the people with the "trained to kill" dogs protecting their homes hidden in the country. And, the big spiders that jumped at us as we made our way through webs to unused front doors. Oh, and there was the commune with the strange tall thin lady at the door that informed us she was an "emissary of the divine light." We watched our backs and prayed for confidence in that dark, foresty, grey and rainy obscure neighborhood in the hills of Oregon...and hit the road quickly. Oh, and then there were the 5-6 pit bulls that ran around me as I tried to teach a family a lesson while getting whipped by their rapidly moving tails. Or, the ladies that didn't let us in during a horrible thunderstorm and we had to walk home with lightening and rain flashing on all sides.
Did I mention that both of my arches fell one week and I had to get orthodics which hurt my feet even more for a few months? But, we kept walking day in and day out, sometimes losing hope in what we were trying to accomplish.
By the end of the mission, we were so immune to abusive people and experiences that most moments weren't even written in the journal even though they had been earth shattering at the first few months of the 1.5 year stint.
Like the woman in the video link above, I too came home feeling like it helped me more than I helped other people. I'm sure it is the same for all that go. We go thinking we will help others and it ends up helping ourselves.
As many people told me then - "the sorrows will outnumber the joys, but the joys will outweigh the sorrows."
Yes, there were trials, and yes, there were miracles. The pit bulls, dobermans and rottweilers went whimpering away most of the time and never bit me or my companion. People would be touched by the Spirit and make life changing decisions over a single weekend. We were protected from those that had originally intended to cause us harm. Others sincerely told us how we had brought them a gift that changed their lives.
My job right now is tough. Politics, favoritism, rewarded mediocrity, and emperors with no clothes prevail. Quiet firmness is often mistaken for weakness or timidness. Shared lessons learned are often viewed as complaining. Unlike the mission, this opposition isn't producing life changing experiences?
Or, is it?
Time will tell.
One thing I do know - the mission forces one to give of themselves heart, mind, and soul during the time of life that is typically the most selfish (college years). It tests one beyond what they think they are capable and most emerge more mature, talented, focused and committed than before they entered the experience.
So, perhaps this means that I will emerge as a great CEO at some point in the future?
Haaaaa.
Like I said - time will tell.
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html#naisi_zhao
Basically, her friend created the video of a Mormon missionary in Chinatown, New York.
It brought back a lot of memories.
Right now my job is mentally tough. Really, really mentally tough. I'll write about it more at a later date since it is not appropriate right now. And, I'm not so stupid to think that no one from work is reading this blog.
Anyway, besides this job, the mission was one of the most mentally tough portions of my life. The first few months were so hard that I was sure it was time for the end of the world to come because I was confident "the end" would be less painful.
Why was it tough? It is hard to even remember because the good experiences overshadowed the actual challenges of every day.
Perhaps it was the fact that people hated you for at least 12 hours every day. Every where we would go people who had never spoken to us would ridicule us, lie to us, throw food at us (from school buses), curse us (swearing and literal witch types), and try to prove to us how horrible we were and how we were brainwashed. That was mentally tough. I still remember a moment where someone kicked us out of their house after we had become friends and threatened to burn our books right in front of us. It was one of those piercing feelings that went deep into the soul, but from it came powerful convictions. I needed to make a choice to stand for something because the opposition was strong.
Then, there were the people with the "trained to kill" dogs protecting their homes hidden in the country. And, the big spiders that jumped at us as we made our way through webs to unused front doors. Oh, and there was the commune with the strange tall thin lady at the door that informed us she was an "emissary of the divine light." We watched our backs and prayed for confidence in that dark, foresty, grey and rainy obscure neighborhood in the hills of Oregon...and hit the road quickly. Oh, and then there were the 5-6 pit bulls that ran around me as I tried to teach a family a lesson while getting whipped by their rapidly moving tails. Or, the ladies that didn't let us in during a horrible thunderstorm and we had to walk home with lightening and rain flashing on all sides.
Did I mention that both of my arches fell one week and I had to get orthodics which hurt my feet even more for a few months? But, we kept walking day in and day out, sometimes losing hope in what we were trying to accomplish.
By the end of the mission, we were so immune to abusive people and experiences that most moments weren't even written in the journal even though they had been earth shattering at the first few months of the 1.5 year stint.
Like the woman in the video link above, I too came home feeling like it helped me more than I helped other people. I'm sure it is the same for all that go. We go thinking we will help others and it ends up helping ourselves.
As many people told me then - "the sorrows will outnumber the joys, but the joys will outweigh the sorrows."
Yes, there were trials, and yes, there were miracles. The pit bulls, dobermans and rottweilers went whimpering away most of the time and never bit me or my companion. People would be touched by the Spirit and make life changing decisions over a single weekend. We were protected from those that had originally intended to cause us harm. Others sincerely told us how we had brought them a gift that changed their lives.
My job right now is tough. Politics, favoritism, rewarded mediocrity, and emperors with no clothes prevail. Quiet firmness is often mistaken for weakness or timidness. Shared lessons learned are often viewed as complaining. Unlike the mission, this opposition isn't producing life changing experiences?
Or, is it?
Time will tell.
One thing I do know - the mission forces one to give of themselves heart, mind, and soul during the time of life that is typically the most selfish (college years). It tests one beyond what they think they are capable and most emerge more mature, talented, focused and committed than before they entered the experience.
So, perhaps this means that I will emerge as a great CEO at some point in the future?
Haaaaa.
Like I said - time will tell.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Get found kid - Get found!
So, a relative sent an email the other day about addictions. The relative shared about a group that is available at our church. The group talks about addictions and gaining a testimony through Jesus Christ to work through these types of things - or at least deal with addictions.
I really enjoy emails like this for a few reasons.
- It makes me realize all of the resources our church has for it's people
- It makes me realize that all of us should be at these types of help groups, but obviously everyone is not ready at the same time to go through the experience
- It gives people permission to feel like they are not alone and would have support to get help
- It shows the importance of sharing trials/challenges in a meaningful way with others
- Many other things I can't think of right now
At the drug and alcohol treatment center I worked in at the Provo Jail, most of the people were there involuntarily. However, once in a while someone would come in that truly wanted to change. Those people were brilliant. They often looked different than the rest of the people because there was a strength and will that the others didn't possess. Those people always inspired me to do a little better, try a little harder, etc. It didn't matter that we didn't have the same addictions or weaknesses because the same principles for overcoming, or living with, were similar.
The 12 step program is amazing and applies to so many areas of life: http://www.12step.org/
Also, when I read the email I thought of many of my family members and friends that are in need. But, most of us don't realize it. I was reminded of a story from the All I need to know I learned in kindergarten book. It was a story of kids playing hide and seek and how one child "hid too well" and the game went on and on and all the kids forgot about the kid hiding and they all went home. The man telling the story said he just wanted to go outside and yell "get found kid, get found!" He further explained that some people he knew suffered in silence through cancer or other illnesses. They decided not to tell anyone and died before anyone knew what really was wrong. Everyone wished that they had been told about the illnesses so they all could have been in it together.
The author suggested that it would be better if we all learned how to play sardines rather than hide and seek. In Sardines you hide with the person you find and at the end of the game everyone is all hidden together in a big jolly group.
It was a powerful little story showing that we are all here to help each other. Today I had another reminder of this when Reeno emailed/wrote on her blog that she had appreciated all of the support she had received after writing about her experiences with PPD at http://rc3w.blogspot.com/.
P.S. I won't mention that the only time I played sardines was at college and I had to go to the health center with a sprained ankle, but hey...at least everyone knew about it and it created friendship and conversation. (-:
I really enjoy emails like this for a few reasons.
- It makes me realize all of the resources our church has for it's people
- It makes me realize that all of us should be at these types of help groups, but obviously everyone is not ready at the same time to go through the experience
- It gives people permission to feel like they are not alone and would have support to get help
- It shows the importance of sharing trials/challenges in a meaningful way with others
- Many other things I can't think of right now
At the drug and alcohol treatment center I worked in at the Provo Jail, most of the people were there involuntarily. However, once in a while someone would come in that truly wanted to change. Those people were brilliant. They often looked different than the rest of the people because there was a strength and will that the others didn't possess. Those people always inspired me to do a little better, try a little harder, etc. It didn't matter that we didn't have the same addictions or weaknesses because the same principles for overcoming, or living with, were similar.
The 12 step program is amazing and applies to so many areas of life: http://www.12step.org/
Also, when I read the email I thought of many of my family members and friends that are in need. But, most of us don't realize it. I was reminded of a story from the All I need to know I learned in kindergarten book. It was a story of kids playing hide and seek and how one child "hid too well" and the game went on and on and all the kids forgot about the kid hiding and they all went home. The man telling the story said he just wanted to go outside and yell "get found kid, get found!" He further explained that some people he knew suffered in silence through cancer or other illnesses. They decided not to tell anyone and died before anyone knew what really was wrong. Everyone wished that they had been told about the illnesses so they all could have been in it together.
The author suggested that it would be better if we all learned how to play sardines rather than hide and seek. In Sardines you hide with the person you find and at the end of the game everyone is all hidden together in a big jolly group.
It was a powerful little story showing that we are all here to help each other. Today I had another reminder of this when Reeno emailed/wrote on her blog that she had appreciated all of the support she had received after writing about her experiences with PPD at http://rc3w.blogspot.com/.
P.S. I won't mention that the only time I played sardines was at college and I had to go to the health center with a sprained ankle, but hey...at least everyone knew about it and it created friendship and conversation. (-:
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