Here are some life truths I have been randomly pondering back and forth.
1. Some people say it's never too late to ___________. (fill in the blank with whatever you want.) But let's face it. Sometimes it is. So do the thing you have been putting off. Take one step toward it each day. As I type this I can honestly say I mostly have done that. Buuuutttttt.....there is something that is peeking out from behind a corner in my brain that I haven't taken steps toward in awhile. I need to get on that.
2. If you start a business, reach a weight loss goal, or achieve some other big goal, sometimes the people you expect to be your biggest supporters just are not. It's a heart breaking realization. In the beginning you want to call those people and say, I see you supporting this person...sharing their posts...buying their stuff...recognizing their achievement....why not me??? Please know: it isn't about you. Keep focused on your goals, and let it go. I can preach at a Sunday service on this with feeling. You know what else? Sometimes the LEAST expected people will be your BIGGEST supporters.
3. Laughter can sometimes be the best medicine. I know it's a cliche'. But it's true. Have you ever watched the movie, The Money Pit, with Tom Hanks? My family is rolling their eyes if they're reading this right now. This movie is one I can quote. I've watched it so many times. Everything is going wrong with their house renovation. At one point the bathtub falls through the upstairs floor! Tom is so frustrated and disgusted he just starts belly laughing. Sometimes there just isn't anything else to do. Many times I have thanked my heavenly Father for the healing gift of laughter. Sometimes it can heal arguments, when no one wants to admit fault. Laughter is a blessing.
4. You have to forgive. Forgiveness is for you. It isn't for the person you are forgiving. My family experienced an event years ago that was just earth shattering. It was a full blown horror. It involved a situation that could very have easily resulted in us taking legal action against other parties. We were told we had legal ground to do that. Believe me. We wanted to do that. We were judged negatively by some for not doing that. We decided after MUCH prayer. I'm talking REPEATED times of taking it to the throne that we wouldn't. There were many facets to the decision, but top on the list was forgiveness. We had legal ground to lash out. We wanted to lash out in a big way. We chose to forgive for our family's sake. It wasn't for the sake of the others involved. It didn't excuse anything. It didn't help us forget it. But we couldn't keep the shackles of unforgiveness weighing us down. Can I also add that forgiveness isn't something you do one time? It's a decision you sometimes have to make again and again.
5. You will never "get over" trauma. When you suffer tremendous grief, your life's timeline becomes pre/post the event. It may be a trauma like the one I mentioned above. It may be the loss of a loved one. It can be the betrayal of someone you trusted. Grief comes in sometimes like the waves of an ocean. Hopefully it will go out again the same way. Even if it does, it erodes a little bit of you away with each wave...like grains of sand. You will never return to being your "pre" trauma self. Each trauma changes you. But your "post" trauma self can be beautiful too. This self can be a beacon of light to others, who are suffering.
6. You don't have to agree with someone or their beliefs/opinions/stances to be respectful of them. When my children were in school, I didn't always agree with their teachers. But you know what I didn't do? I didn't talk badly about them. I said things like, "I don't know why that is a rule. But I'm sure there is a good reason even if it seems silly to us. And we will respect it and those trying to enforce it." (Please don't react to this as a 'we are called to make a stand kind of thing.' You know what I'm talking about. My children were also raised to be strong in their beliefs.)
7. Let's swing back to forgiveness. As the song by Alanis Morissette goes..."Isn't it ironic"? Sometimes the person hardest to forgive is yourself. Sometimes we keep beating ourselves up even after we have asked for forgiveness from others and/or God. If we accept God's forgiveness, why can't we forgive ourselves and move on from it? God's grace is sufficient. God's. Grace. Is. Sufficient.
Are you still with me? Thanks for hanging in there! I could go on and on. But I'll conclude with this. Support others...even if you're mad at yourself for not having the idea first. Learn to laugh. It heals. Forgive others. Usually the other person has moved on, and you're only holding yourself back with the resentment anyway. Don't try to "get over" a loss or trauma just because people put you on a timeline. Respect others. And if there's something you have been putting off, take a step today toward it! It's scary but exhilarating!!!