LOOK FOR THE HELPERS

I remember one on my children years ago asking me why God lets bad things happen.  After some thought I said the obvious response for me, “It’s gives people the opportunity to do good”.  I love the Mr. Rogers quote that has floated around social media about his mother telling him to “look for the helpers”.  

I like to keep things light and avoid posting opinions on my blog, but with yesterday’s events I was touched and needed to share.  Besides, it’s MY blog after all.

As I awoke yesterday morning and began seeing and hearing the horrific news of the incident at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando I was horrified. I don’t understand the mental illness that makes a person take the life of another person or in this case more than fifty people. 

I found myself especially torn by an interview of a mother trying to find her son. You may have seen that video. I can’t and don’t want to imagine the excruciating pain that mother must be going through. I admit I cried when I watched her. 

I won’t discuss LGBT issues and/or gun control for that matter.  In spite of our differences we are all humans and tasked with the labor to love one another. Let’s be honest in saying that some are just better at it than others.

As I watched the news, I couldn’t help but notice the helpers.  People were carrying the injured to safety, using their shirts to make tourniquets, praying for and comforting each other, standing in lines for hours to donate blood, one man gave a “bear hug” putting pressure on an injured man in the back of a truck as he was rushed to a hospital, saving the man’s life.  Some without a thought put their own safety in harm’s way to rescue another.  I was inspired to see the natural amount of human sacrifice that was given to aid those that needed it most.  I am amazed that in the face of the most horrible and evil circumstances a huge portion of the human race becomes helpers.

 

For all those reading this that are now living with an elevated level of fear, I encourage you to see past the ugliness and look for the helpers.  Stay focused…There is so much good in the world.

 

I believe when we leave this world we go to a better place.  We are welcomed with open arms by a loving Heavenly Father and by loved ones that have gone before.  I can imagine the reunions that took place in heaven for those fifty plus that were rescued from this mortality. 

Let’s challenge ourselves to be helpers to those that are healing in hospitals or struggling with the loss of a loved one.  Opportunities are everywhere, every day to show love to someone that needs it.  Let’s look out for each other, be positive and have hope.  Let’s keep our judgments to ourselves and look in the mirror more often.

 

Love and Peace -

For years I have had sort of a little mini movie play over and over in my head when I am down, feel desparate or alone. This may seem weird to you but stay with me.

Try to see yourself with a big shovel and you're digging a hole. You spend most of your life digging and the hole gets deeper and deeper. Until finally if you stand on the edge you can't see the bottom. So you throw down the shovel, take a deep breath, smile, and willingly jump in. At first it's fun to be sitting in the dark and feel the cool air blow on your face, it's silent and peaceful.

Then all at once you realize that you hate it and you start the huge task of climbing out. You dig your hands into the side of the hole trying to grip onto a rock or a root or anything that will help you get out. You climb a couple of feet and then the dirt works loose and you fall to the bottom, over and over you make a little bit of progress just to fall back to the bottom. Your face is covered with dirt, your hands start to bleed, your tired, hungry and thirsty. You spend days, weeks, months, years trying over and over to climb out, you never give up! After a while from all of your effort, the sides of the hole aren't smooth like they were at first. The sides start to harden and through all of your grabbing and pulling of the dirt steps are forming. The steps are large enough for a foot. You start climbing up the side carefully placing your feet on a step while grabbing the next with your hand. Every so often you slip and fall but not to the very bottom. Eventually you are able to see light, you stop to catch your breath and keep going. Soon you can hear people yelling and as you get closer you realize they are calling your name or just calling Mom. After what seems to be years of climbing you get close enough to the top to realize that you recognize the voices calling your name. This gives you hope and faith that you will finally make it to the top but you are so tired. Climbing and climbing you can finally feel the sun on your head. You are so tired and want to just give up, but the voices won't let you. The sun is so bright you look up to see how far you have to go, as you shield you eyes from the sun you can see hands, lots of hands, they are all reaching down. One hand reaches further than the others and wraps it's fingers around your wrist. With this firm hand pulling you are finally out of the hole. It's bright, warm, happy, everything you've always wanted. You didn't give up, you made it out!

I've thought about this often in the past years. Life happens, we all have challenges, trials, things to overcome. No one knows what our future will be, one can only do the best they can. That's the secret, to keep doing your best, it may not make things easier, or make bad things not happen but I think you'll have the strength to handle it and continue on.