Linking up with Tuesdays@Ten today....also with Wedded Wednesday.
A few personal notes. Having a bit of a difficult day, so all the more reason to write from the heart. So today, I will.
This I believe...
That life, even in pain, is still worthwhile, and still means something. The horizon may be close, but that does NOT obviate my obligation to do the best I can, every day. Indeed, it sharpens the requirement. With only a few arrows left, every one had better hit its mark.
That people are basically good, and that if one gives them the chance, they'll offer more help than you'd ever believed possible. They're waiting, yearning to link arms with you...and you've just got to step out from behind the static wall of pride, and walk forward with them.
That we make our own choices every day, that affect our lives more than we know. A short nap can turn into a day slept away; the decision to get up, even when tired and in pain, can lead to accomplishments that make the day into a success, rather than a loss.
That cheap cigars have their place, in controlling pain and nausea, and in making me take a few minutes out of the day to appreciate a good book, or part of a DVD. They make me take a break from writing (don't want ash in the keyboard) to consider others' viewpoints, and their ways of expressing them.
That the will to overcome is the requirement for healing, and that healing does not necessarily mean you don't die. You may just die healed.
That love truly transcends time, space and relativity. This isn't my idea; it comes from the awesome sci-fi film "Interstellar".
That God 's love for me does not mean He's going to make me well, but that it does mean He'll give me what I need to make it through the next day, the next hour, or the next moment.
Time to hit 'publish'; going down hard, I think.
But I will be back.
Well said: 'the will to overcome' - I was out on a long walk today and hit a particularly steep spot - it was getting steeper and steeper, yet I dug in and pressed forward anyway, saying to myself 'come ON! you can do it'... and in the middle of that, you randomly came to mind. You inspire in more ways than you know, honestly. I got there, and the view from the top was astonishing...
ReplyDeleteWow...thank you so much for saying this...I am so honoured!
DeleteI'm glad the view was good! I used to climb high places (hills, cliffs, radio towers...) just to see what things looked like from the top.
"it does mean He'll give me what I need to make it through the next day, the next hour, or the next moment." That is so true. So often we get stuck on the bigger picture instead of the moment in front of us that He has equipped us to make it through.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Jackie...we get a lot of pressure from society to look at the big picture, to take the long view, but sometimes that is completely counterproductive. You NEED to take the next step, and not look beyond it, to preserve the strength to make it through the whole thing.
DeleteThank you for being here today!
So sorry to hear you are having a difficult day...prayers lifted up just now for you and Barbara!!
ReplyDeleteI really loved your "This I Believe" post! Haven't posted mine yet; words are running through my head but haven't put them together much yet!
Especially loved the one about making choices every day! I find that if I am pretty sedentary all day...I get stiff and tired and just don't seem to have any energy. Somehow - lung/breating issues aside - I managed to clean the kitchen, sweep and mop the kitchen floor, get 3 loads of laundry done and put away, and clean the bath tub...AND cook dinner and get the dishes into the dishwasher. Quite a bit for one day...and I am still up - just now getting a little sleepy.
Thank you for sharing your "This I believe"!! Take care and do whatever you can to "rest" and enjoy those cigars! I always loved the smell of them when my dad would light one up!!
Thank you for the positive feedback on the cigars. The dogs like it when I light up...I think because they know I will take a break, and they don't have to be watchful that I might collapse.
DeleteI find that pain will sometimes discourage me from accomplishing anything, but if I push past it, even though I'm tired, I feel so much better, so much more positive.
Thanks for being here...and thank you for the prayers, from both of us!
Bless your dear heart! I just "met" you through the comments you left on Lisa's blog, "Lisa Notes". My heart was touched by your comments there, and at the end where you said you were so ill. I am SO sorry to read of your pain and suffering! God bless you and your wife and see you through these difficult days! Thank you for sharing your heart here and for blessing so many through your words. You are truly an inspiration, and a BIG thank you for all you did for us and our country. You are a hero, for sure. :) The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27
ReplyDeleteCheryl, thank you so much for stopping by, and for your very kind and thought-filled words...and please forgive my delay in responding. Been having a few hard days, physically.
DeleteI always loved that Scripture about the Everlasting Arms. Thank you for bringing it to mind today!
God is always good, and He is giving me the strength to see this through, one day, or hour, or moment at a time. I can ask no more than that.
Your tenacious spirit and continual thirst for what brings life is so inspirational, Andrew. I hope that when I am on my deathbed, I will have half your fighting spirit, my friend! Keep up the writing and take those necessary breaks when you can. We need you as much as you need to speak to us!
ReplyDeleteOh, Beth, thank you so much! I will keep writing...and I do take breaks when I have to. Sometimes they are enforced, because Sylvia the Pit Bull (whose picture is in the right-hand sidebar) knows how to close the computer. If she thinks I am not looking well, she'll slam the laptop's cover closed on my fingers.
DeleteBeing here, doing this, is a high honor. Perhaps not that I would have chosen, but I do recognize the privilege God has extended to me, and I will do my best, every day.
Your words have really touched my heart - especially the paragraph about life is still worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your words...they are so important...and worthwhile.
Aimee, thank you so much for that. Comments like yours are a balm on the burning days as this one has been. They keep me going.
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