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What Got Me Through

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There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.   Nelson Mandela

Someone was hurt before you, wronged before you, hungry before you, frightened before you, beaten before you, humiliated before you, raped before you . . . yet, someone survived. . .  You can do anything you choose to do.  Maya Angelou

Strength does not come from winning.  Your struggles develop your strengths.  When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.  Arnold Schwarzenegger

You’re going to go through tough times – that’s life.  But I say, “Nothing happens to you.  It happens for you.”  See the positive in negative events.   Joel Osteen

In my deepest darkest moments, what really got me through was a prayer.  Sometimes my prayer was “Help me.”  Sometimes a prayer was “Thank you.”  What I’ve discovered is that intimate connection and communication with my creator will always get me through because I know my support, my help, is just a prayer away.   Ivanla Vanzant

There was a special kind of gift that came with embracing the chaos, even if I cursed most of the way.  I’m convinced that, when everything is wiped blank, it’s life’s way of forcing you to become acquainted with and aware of who you are now, who you can become.   Jennifer DeLucy

We All Are Going Through Something

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I’ve been coming across stories about people who have overcome very intense life challenges.  I don’t know if I’m more disposed to notice because of my particular situation or if the Universe is trying to let me know that, as difficult as I think my life is, there are many people who are going through much worse than I am.  Obviously, I know about the refugees and people in the Middle East who used to be middle class and are now in constant war.  Their whole lives have been devastated.  I know all about that.  I know about other people who are suffering.

But, sometimes I think of those people in an abstract way.  For any number of reasons, I move on to the next news item.  However, when I hear about someone’s personal story, it more deeply affects me.

In the October 2016 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, Elizabeth Gilbert wrote about a man who got hit by a bus and lost part of his leg.  He didn’t let that stop him; he got a prosthesis and went on to be a successful triathlete.  During a competition, a van that wasn’t even supposed to be on the road ran into him while he was leading a pack of able-bodied bicyclists.  The accident left him paralyzed from the neck down.  This seemed totally unfair.

In the beginning, he became depressed, lost his way, and abused drugs.  By the time Gilbert met him, he had found an inner peace and joy that went beyond his physicality.  He told her, “Don’t waste your pain.”  That really struck me.  Whatever you’re going through, don’t waste this experience.  Use it as an opportunity to grow, learn, and develop your connection with that which is beyond your circumstance.

There is a comic book series about women who have been victims of acid attacks.  I Googled a real woman, not a comic book character, who had commented on the books. Her particular story involved her rejection of a marriage proposal.  The suitor got together a group of his friends and they poured a bucket of acid on her while she was sitting in her car.  65% of her body was instantly burned.  She’s been through 40 surgeries.  She talked about how hard it is for victims to take that first look in the mirror.  Usually, these women were very attractive before the attacks.

This was 10 years ago.  She’s now 28, still a young lady.  She talked about how the support of her family enabled her to make it through.  Each day, she struggles to pursue her dreams.  She’s now studying to become a fashion designer.

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