"let it be done to me according to your word..."

"To surrender all that we are, as we are, to the Spirit of Love in order that our lives may bear Christ into he world - that is what we shall be asked. Our Lady has made this possible. Her fiat was for herself and for us, but if we want God's will to be completed in us as it is in her, we must echo her fiat." ~ Caryllk Houselander

 

Sometimes when Life hands us joy, we get lost in the moment and forget that life also has it's opposite side. Pain, sorrow, loss. These things can hamper the joy that perhaps just yesterday had us riding in the clouds. Now we despair. We feel as though we may never see daylight again. We cry. We want to close ourselves off from everyone and lick our wounds.

You've been there, so have I. We all have. When my husband lost his job, he retreated into a corner and shut everyone he loved out...including me. It is not considered "macho" to let another one in to our pain.

But that is where you are WRONG!

Let them in. Because it validates all of us to be able to bear that burden, to give hugs, to allow another the presence to cry, scream, yell and unload that burden. God knew this wayyyyyyyy back in the Garden of Eden, when He saw Man so helpless. He said, "It is not good for Man to be alone; I will create a helper for him!"  and there you have it.

A friend of mine was just diagnosed with lung cancer. I feel her pain. I have been in those shoes and not just once. Due to my lupus and Rheumatoid arthritis, my immune system is ruined, so I am susceptible to everything, including cancer. I have had several types. There are people who scoff at me, thinking that I am just trying to create drama to get attention. Really? Walk in my shoes! Then again....just let me move on, because that type of attention I do not need! Huge sigh....I understand what they may be thinking...and thus...c'est la vie.

We all need support...we ALL need to know that we are not on this roller coaster ride known as Life all alone. We have each other. We all MUST support one another. "Love one another, even as I have loved YOU!" Jesus said. To show love, it is not by putting another down, rather it is by walking beside them. It is not necessary to have the "right words." I know of folks who do not go to funerals. Why? The most common response is: "I just don't know what I can say!" Why say anything? Just BE! That's it! Your presence alone shows that you care. You don't have to SAY words that are all platitudes anyway, but just be present. I cannot tell you how many times I have been inside a hospital or nursing home and seen residents/patients there ALL ALONE! The look of pain in their eyes is enough to prove this point of how alone they feel. In the midst of doctors and nurses, they are still alone.

Today reach out to another. If you hear news of another in pain, in sorrow, in need, just reach out, take their hand and allow your strength to fill them up. 

It's what YOU would want from another. Trust me on this one...I know. I have been there, too. On both sides of this...the one in need and the one who gives.

here's a song by Elvis that may inspire you:  (click on the link)

realize that no matter what....although it may seem as though we are given a mountain...a mountain can be conquered!! 

 "He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20