by Lady Lee 45 Replies latest jw friends
Oh yes Sammie....We dont realize how fortunate we really are .Those experiences makes one wonder why???
That is when I say "LORD why do look after me" & he does. I have an apartment,a car,
enough money to look after myself,I have ears to hear, a mouth to speak. eyes to see
Your post makes me realize again how some folks know what hard lives are
Just read your thread opening. I was having a discussion with someone this morning on the very subject you write so well about.
It really is up to us to deal with what life throws at us. Keeping a positive outlook can be very difficult, a battle. But it pays off in our well being, even when we have affirmities. At 67 I enjoy good health but see the decline in certain areas, like sight and hearing. I know these things will get more challenging and new ones will come along but I am going to fight discouragement, I am determined.
Thanks, dear LL.
I will read it again!
Thanks FHN yes There was an old church hymn that I vaguely remember "Count your many blessings one by one....." We need to do more of that
Really Grace what could he do? I guess he could have said No you can't come on. But caught off guard like that I think most people would open the door. Luke has issues that only he alone can solve. Maybe this will be a step for him.
Yes sammiessife. we have no idea what some people have gone through; their personal challenges. We can hope they find the strength to carry on.
Glander read the rest. Some others have made great contributions to the discussion.
Yea that positive outlook can be hard sometimes to hold on to. There have been times when the most I could hang on to was the next minute. That is how I was doing emotionally before I left the JWs and my husband. When my pain kicks in and I finally give in and take the hydromorphine pill I have 30 minutes to hang on until it takes effect. So for those 30 minutes I am just hanging on.
But thiese things pass. Those moments and minutes and days will pass on and the things we thought would never end can go away if we do what we need to do to get beyond it.
Just an aside from me
The past year has been very hard on my so I haven't neen here very much. Thank you to those who have reminded me that my voice counts.
I am sitting here with a book in front of me; Resilience: Discovering a New Strength at Times of Stress by Frederic Flach. He defines resilience as a necessary ingredient to dealing with stress.
Building resilience is an on-going process: the minor everyday pressures of life will strengthen our resilient qualities, such as self-esteem, independence, and a sense of humor, so that we may weather truly shattering adversities with more equanimity. With resilience, we emerge from each event better "put together" and more qualifies to deal with greater challenges.
It is quite fascinating so maybe I should read the book and share what I learn from it.
Thank you Lady Lee for sharing your life lessons with us. Your voice is very much appreciated and very much needed to be heard here. Your life, your struggles and how you've overcome obstacles serve as an inspiration.
I'm looking forward to hearing more about resilience.
Thanks FHN yes There was an old church hymn that I vaguely remember "Count your many blessings one by one....." We need to do more of that
You're welcome, Lee. I know that when I find myself experiencing anxiety, sadness or most bad kinds of feelings, if I stop and start a list of my blessings, it immediately begins to diffuse the feeling. I start simple: I can see (I have wonderful progressive lenses.) I can hear. I can speak. I can walk. I can work. I live in a nice apartment in a fairly safe, beautiful neighborhood. I have a job I like with fair, pleasant bosses in a good work environment. I have a paid for car to get me there. I have family and friends to love that love me back. And so on. When I think of my medical issues or permanent changes and scars from surgeries, I think of people who have lost breasts or limbs or who cannot see or walk or speak. There is a customer who comes into where I work. She is wheelchair bound. She is missing a foot. During this icy, cold winter she came in one day with no sock or shoe on the foot she does have and nothing covering her leg stump. I could see she was suffering from severe edema. There I stood in socks and shoes, doing my job when at one time I was riding a scooter in stores and using a shower chair to take a shower. I appreciate how far I have come and what improvements I can make to my life and my health.
I can't say my life is care free. It isn't. I can say that I treasure my blessings, good memories and experiences. I am planning to try to have truly golden years ahead. At 54, those golden years are fast approaching.
