anyway
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives,
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Be good anyway.
Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People need help but may attack you if you try to help them.
Help them anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.
From a sign on the wall of Shishu Bhaven,
a children’s home in Calcutta
As it appears in authentic relationships: discover the lost art of “one anothering” by Wayne Jacobsen & Clay Jacobsen
Chronic Pain Alters the Brain
Fascinating article:
Chronic pain seen altering how brain works
By Julie Steenhuysen Tue Feb 5, 5:50 PM ETCHICAGO (Reuters) - Brain scans of people in chronic pain show a state of constant activity in areas that should be at rest, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday, a finding that could help explain why pain patients have higher rates of depression, anxiety and other disorders.
They said chronic pain seems to alter the way people process information that is unrelated to pain…
To read this article in its entirety, visit Yahoo news.
The Voice of Love
Lynne Hybels has a lovely piece on her website, called The Voice of Love, which really ministered to me:
“Come away with me. Yes, you, come away and sit with me.
Come and let me give you the gift of my presence. I want to share the stillness of this moment with you. I want to whisper words of kindness to you. I want to pour my infinitely rich and deep love into your very soul.
So come, let me love you. Let me love that part of you that believes you are valuable only while you are serving others. You are valuable for just who you are.
You don’t have to keep running. You don’t have to prove your worth through frantic action.
Let me love that part of you that is weary and needs to rest. Listen, listen as I tell you to drop your burdens right now, and rest like a child in the presence of a loving Father.
Let me love that lonely part of you that craves an intimate touch. Listen as I whisper words of love to your woman’s soul. Listen as I tell you that I adore that part of you that is filled with passion and emotion and tenderness. In my eyes and in my heart you are lovely and pure. You are my soul’s desire.
You, woman that you are, are precious to me beyond words. You, woman that you are, are worthy of my time and my attention. And so I give myself to you. Right now.
So come. Sit with me. Let me love you.
Let Me Love You.”
Learning the Unforced Rhythms of Grace
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:27-29 (The Message)
Sound inviting? It did to me. After what has been one of the most difficult years of my life, I intentionally accepted God’s invitation to rest by booking a few days away at The Meander Inn Plantation, a bed and breakfast in Virginia, for the sole purpose of communion with God.
A God Encounter
Although I am still processing my encounter with God during that time, I can say that it was one of the most profound spiritual experiences of my life. I spent hours resting, meditating on God’s Word, listening to the still small voice of God and journaling.
Silence and Solitude
I came away from my personal retreat rested, strengthened and healed in a very tangible way. I recognize now the importance of periodically coming away for extended times of solitude and silence, particularly in our culture of busyness.
“There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9 NASB).
Rest…In the Hands of God
“Jean Vanier, the founder of the L’Arche communities for mentally handicapped people, often explains with a simple illustration his approach to those who live at L’Arche.
He will cup his hands lightly and say, “Suppose I have a wounded bird in my hands. What would happen if I closed my hands completely?”
The response is immediate: “Why, the bird will be crushed and die.”
“Well then, what would happen if I opened my hands completely?”
“Oh, no,then the bird will try to fly away, and it will fall and die.”
Vanier smiles and says, “‘The right place is like my cupped hands, neither totally open nor totally closed. It is the space where growth can take place.”
For us, too, the hands of God are cupped lightly. We have enough freedom so that we can stretch and grow, but also we have enough protection so that we will not be injured–and so we can be healed.”
-Richard J. Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home
Self-Care
“Self-care is never a selfish act–it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can listen to true self and give it the care if requires, we do it not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch.” –Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation
Lion Hugs and Kisses
Someone at my husband’s office forwarded this to him. You’ve got to see it to believe it!
A woman in Columbia found a lion cub who was wounded and hungry. She took him home and raised him until he grew too big to keep at home. She turned him over to a local zoo to care for the full grown lion, but she visits him every day. This is how he greets her:
Book Review: Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson
“One of the most powerful voices in Christian fiction.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, review, Publishers Weekly
Review:
Lisa Samson does it again! Hollywood Nobody is one of her best.
Filled with charming and quirky characters, Hollywood Nobody peels back the curtain on Hollywood today to expose a world rife with superficiality and hypocrisy. Amid the shallow fluff of Hollywood, Scotty grapples with her identity and comes face to face with a secret from her past.
On the set of a Great Gatsby remake, Scotty befriends Seth “Hottie” Haas, a young rising star, and failed fashion designer, Joy Overstreet, as she explores issues today’s young adult readers face. After all, “being normal in a world that demands perfection isn’t easy.”
With engaging dialogue, a fast-moving plot, and delightful characterization, Samson takes readers on a wild ride! In what may be one of her best novels yet, Samson makes “normal” so appealing that even the hardest cynic can’t help but realize–nothing is more beautiful than being who we were created to be.
Five stars for Lisa Samson’s Hollywood Nobody.
I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson
Check back soon for a review of Lisa Samson’s new novel, Hollywood Nobody.To learn more about Lisa, visit www.lisasamson.com.
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Fifteen-year-old Scotty Dawn has spent her young life on the road, traveling to movie sets with her single mom, Charley, a food designer. Yet even though Scotty is wise beyond her years, she still struggles to find her identity. Complicating matters is a mother who offers no guidance and a father she’s never met. Read more at: www.amazon.com.
From the Back Cover
Scotty Dawn has all the freedom a fifteen-year-old girl could want. As she and her mom, Charley, travel to movie sets for Charley’s work, Scotty’s allowed to go anywhere and be anything. But there are costs to such a life. Scotty doesn’t know who she is, where she comes from, or who to trust. And who is the mysterious man they’ve been running from? Does he hold the clue to Charley’s big secret?
Scotty writes in her Hollywood Nobody blog, and the answers she finds are darker than she had expected. Will she discover who she can trust and finally make sense of her world?
Product Details
* Paperback: 221 pages
* Publisher: Th1nk Books (August 30, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1600060919
* ISBN-13: 978-1600060915
* Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
* Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
* Average Customer Review:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lisa Samson is the author of twenty books, including the Christy Award-winning Songbird. Check back soon for a review of Lisa’s latest book, Hollywood Nobody.
Focus on the Family Web Module on Chronic Illness
My Web module on chronic illness has been posted on the Focus on the Family website. I invite you to check it out!
- Adjusting to Life with Chronic Illness
- Remaining Positive When Facing a Chronic Illness
- When We Suffer: A Biblical Perspective on Pain and Chronic Illness
- Ministering Effectively to the Chronically Ill
- Story: A Journey through Chronic Illness
Feel free to drop me a note to let me know what you think.
Learning to be Assertive Despite the Fatigue of Illness
by Lisa Copen
Used with permission.
I had just received the third pink slip in two weeks from the lab that said my payment was passed due. Over three times I had called and my insurance company had assured me that the lab work was covered and that they would mail out a check that afternoon. This time, when I finally got a representative on the telephone, I was polite but firm. I said that I wanted the problem taken care of immediately, and I wrote down her name and the supervisor’s name. It was time to get even more assertive.
Has assertiveness gotten a bad rap, however, among the chronically ill? Is it assumed that we won’t have the energy or stamina to fight all of the battles that we will face? When we do talk to someone in customer service, we are rarely taken absolutely seriously. After all, isn’t it just the drugs that make us impatient and nit-picky about all of this insurance stuff? Has anyone ever brushed off your assertiveness simply by assuming, “She doesn’t have anything else to think about all day, so no wonder she’s upset!”? Or “She’s just taking her frustrations out on me because she has a chronic illness.”
When you imagine an assertive person, what comes to mind? Webster’s Dictionary says that assertiveness is “positive; affirming confidently; affirmative.” Too often we confuse assertiveness with aggression which is defined as “making assaults and unjustly attacking.” Most of us have had moments when we have slid into an aggressive mode, but assertiveness is based on one’s ability to confidently step forward. Rather than becoming aggressive, I believe that the chronically ill often become burnt out on fighting and we simply avoid any conflict. Who has the energy to fight for our rights? Next time a situation arises where you may need to be a bit assertive, here are some things in which to remember.
Know Your Rights
I have the right to say no without feeling guilty.
For those of us with chronic illness, this is a big one! We must say, “no, thanks,” or “I’ll pass,” much more often than we would prefer. Even when we master the ability to say no, the guilt continues to sit with us for days. Let it go! You know your abilities and limitations and what is best for your own health and your family’s well being.
I have the right to state my opinion, even if I change my mind. Have you ever been on a jury and you had to state your decision up-front, but than as the deliberations continued, you changed your mind about the verdict? You have the right to say what you think, but it’s best to think before you speak. Is what you say going to hurt someone’s feelings? Are your comments going to help the situation?
I have the right to take risks and try new things.
Just because you have a chronic condition doesn’t mean you have to eat at the same restaurant the rest of your life. Try new things! You may find a new hobby or a new activity that you are able to easily do, in which you would have never thought about. “When I started taking photos it was on one of those cardboard cameras,” says Darcie. “But then I found that I really loved it and I wasn’t half bad. So I bought a real camera. It’s been fun. I’ve had an excuse to go to events that I couldn’t participate in before, like boat races, because I am ‘the photographer.’”
I have the right to be heard.
Whether you are having a conversation with a medical professional or your mother, you do have the right to be heard. Too many of us fall into the habit of talking all of the time, however, and forgetting that we also have the responsibility to listen. Know your boundaries and what you are willing to listen to and not. When a man approached me after a health fair and said, “I can cure you in 30 days,” I replied, “You have sixty seconds to tell me why I should talk with you further about your product.” I listened… and no, he didn’t convince me. He felt okay about it though, and I got out of an uncomfortable thirty-minute sales pitch.
So be assertive—practice in front of the mirror if you must. As you step out and share your opinion, it may feel awkward at first, but then you will gain more confidence and it will become simpler the next time the opportunity arises. Even studies have shown that assertive people are more likely to have personal and professional relationships that are based on honesty and mutual respect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa Copen is editor of HopeKeepers Magazine, http://www.hopekeepersmagazine.com a consumer publication for those with chronic illness, and founder of Rest Ministries, http://www.restministries.org. Daily devotionals, a free magazine, dozens of e-groups, books by Lisa, including “Why Can’t I Make People Understand?” http://www.comfortzonebooks.com Copyright 2006. May be distributed freely without any changes to text or content.]
Practical Issues of Chronic Illness–Shoes
It’s no surprise that chronic illness impacts every area of your life from getting dressed in the morning to going out with friends. While creativity, perseverance, and resilience go a long way toward living well with chronic illness, sometimes it just comes down to the practical issues of life.
Shoes for instance.
Why do shoes that fit look like something my grandmother would wear, and why don’t inexpensive shoes ever work?
One doctor suggested I wear men’s shoes. Can you believe it?
I’ve finally found some that fit–and look decent–at Talbot’s. Granted, they cost an arm and a leg, but they were worth every penny. Still, they were less than orthopedic shoes. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.
I realize shoes aren’t one of the pressing issues of life. But when you live with chronic illness, sometimes even the small victories make a difference.