Recently I had another stop in at my favorite hangout, the hospital. Now for those of you that really know me, you know how I despise hospitals and will do everything in my power to avoid having to go. But what do you do if life unexpectedly hands you a bunch of lemons and you end up where you hate? In most of the cases that I know of we plod along and do our best with the circumstances we find ourselves in. No matter what situation you find yourself in there is no possible way that you can take into consideration every eventuality that might befall you. No one ever plans to have their health deteriorate or fail on them. No one ever plans on having cancer, or having your kidneys fail. There is no hard set fast plan that you can have in place to take these things into account.
But if you find yourself in one of these types of situations, (which I hope and pray you don't) you might have to buckle down and look to yourself and your family for support and guideance. If you don't have a support network that you can call on and depend upon, then I recommend you create one for yourself. I also would advise you to take the time and research what health options you have and treatments that others have found successful in dealing with similar conditions or situations. Also reach out into your community and see if there isn't a support group or other type of organization that hasn't been formed to help you deal with what you are going through. These types of groups can help you and your family members come to terms with what you are going through. They are also great sources of help and inspiration, because you can learn from others who have survived and gone through similar situations. Their testimonies and experiences can give you the hope and help that you need to fight whatever you are going through.
Sometimes the thing that you need is just to have another person listen to what you are going through, they may not necessarily be able to give you the support and strength you need but they can lend you a shoulder to cry on and a strong ear to talk to about what you are going through. No matter what your circumstances there is always going to be someone out there that has gone through something similar or have some type of advice that will help you through. Support groups and supplemental agencies such as the American Cancer Society will also have resources that you might be able to call upon in your times of need.
Never discount your friends, those people that are always with you and surround you. Their support and love will provide you with the strength and courage you need to face the crisis upon which you find yourself. Always keep firmly in mind that no matter what doctors are only human, they make mistakes and they cannot see the future, and they are not the final word on your condition. God is the "Great Physician", He is the ultimate Healer and the architect of our lives. Remember that God has a plan for you and your life. Every hurt, pain and situation that you find yourself in are all part of His Divine Plan for your life and are experiences that we can learn and grow from.
I have learned through my own life and illnesses, that God's Plan and Will are sometimes hidden and subtle. We must learn and live through each experience to recieve and comprehend the lessons that we are being taught. Experience has taught me that God has different kinds of love for each of us. Sometimes God's love is a restraining love, this type of love is where we are put into situations in order for us to learn and grow from. Moses and Jonah had to learn and were restrained from moving forward until their lessons were learned. I believe that even today God teaches us with this same type of restraining love. No matter where you find yourself you should research and explore the entire situation, because the lesson you might have to learn is how to witness about how you have overcome that situation. God has called each of us to be "Fishers of Men" which means we are all called to tell others of our testimony, to talk about those things that we have been brought through and delivered from. These are the stories and inspiration that help others to see the love and strength that God gives us. God also has a deep and abiding love that protects us and nurtures us in our times of despair and need.
As I said earlier it is your support network, which is made of family and friends that is going to help you through your trial or illness. However, you must understand that not all of the people that you consider friends are actually going to be there for you. It is during your times of illness and stress that you will find out who your true friends are. They are going to the ones that are there for you and whom you can depend upon. These are the ones that have your best interests at heart and are always in your corner pulling for you. They offer words of motivation and encouragement, they are the ones that come to visit you in the hospital, send you cards and do little things for you to make your life easier. Do not be discouraged if some of the people you once considered a friend don't come to visit you or have any meaningful input, because these are the ones that you can cut away from your life. They take away more from you than they give. Sad to say but those that want more of your attention and are needy without regard to what you are going through are the ones that you can do without in your life.
No one ever said life was going to be easy, that you were never going to have bad or hard times. These are the times when life's lessons help us build character and shape and mold the way we live and treat life and those that are around us. So many people have interesting stories if you just take the time to listen and get to know them. My partner and I walk every morning here in Daytona, and it is on these walks that we have met and gotten to know some very interesting people. There is a woman that we have met on several mornings who gets out and walks 2 to 3 miles a day. This morning she was telling us that up until last year she was walking 5 miles a day. Which is very remarkable because next month she is going to be 80 years old. Even today she was out making her 2 to 3 mile trek which is truly inspiring because she told us that she had recently shattered her left foot and her hip had deteriorated over the past couple of years and had to have a hip replacement.
As with all things in this life our mental health is just as important to our physical health as is a good diet and exercise. See with a positive outlook your health and stamina will also improve. It is my belief that our mind is a very powerful thing and with the proper adjustments in attitude we can actually help in our healing process. A positive outlook on life is going to keep you moving forward and help lesson the stress on your body which inturn significantly increases the body's ability to heal.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
