Disabilities Aren't Always a Bad Thing

I've been having a discussion with a group on Facebook about what's good about being in a wheel; about having a disability.  Now many people, both those who are disabled and those aren't, see this question and laugh.  Surely, there can be nothing good about having a disabled.  Uhm, I may beg to differ, depending  on the day.  I  was strangled at birth by the umbilical cord That caused me to have Cerebral Palsy.  I'd like to think that before I was born that God asked  me if I would be disabled for a reason.  I hope that through my struggles, I have inspired others.  I can look back at my life and sees the path that my disability has sewn: It's the reason my  family became Christian, the reason  I got to go to college, the reason I chose to major in Social Work, the reason I met my husband and so forth.  Most people see disabilities as negative, and while most disabilities have negative aspects that go along with them; but then again most people who breathe life encounter negative aspects that goes along with that life.    We all have two choices; we can either spend our life complaining and hold a self pity party with the negatives being the hostess with the mostest; or we can take the negatives and try to make our life a little bit better because of  them.  I know many problems in life seem massive and people think that nothing go can come of them.  And if we simply look at them with the naked  eye; we can't.  However, when we break down our negatives (at this point forward I'll refer to them  as disabilities), we can see thing that we might be able to when we look at them as a whole.  There is an old saying;  "How do you eat an elephant? One piece at a time, of course."    There are many thing we may not be able to do, we must concentrate on the thing we can do.  Even the simplest thing as smiling at a caregiver who may be having bad day; maybe you cheered  them up.  We are not on this earth to live solo lives.  God created us to have relationships and to help and to love others.  Hebrews 13:2 says "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware."  We should never let our disability hinder our ability to do God's will.  It's not even a choice.  it is our duty to  do what God calls us to, no matter what cost to us.

Tribute to my Daughter

 She is a very beautiful and caring daughter; both inside and out.  She has the patience of a dove and the strength of a lion.  She had to learn at a very young age to be both self-efficient and caring towards others.  Not because her mother was mean or neglectful  as was the reason too many other children had to mature faster than their years; but because they were simply thing that her disabled mother needed help with.  She always had a cheerful heart and if the burden of helping ever became to much, she didn't let it show.  At times, her mother was sadden by the thought that maybe her daughter's childhood had been stolen from her.  But just as she did; her daughter would do something silly to remind her mother that she was still just a girl.

Long After The Thrill Of Living Is Gone

As a child of thee 80's, one of my all time was John Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane".    We were getting haircuts the other day and that song came on in the salon.  For some reason the line "O yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone.", really hit me and I began to think about it in a way I never have before.

     When the song first starts out, it about 2 teenagers who are madly in love with each and their life is peachy king.  By the time, the quoted line above takes place;  they are most likely are in their mid-to-late thirties.  They probably have a  couple of kids and their  life is probably CRAZY!   Between raising kids, working, marriage and everything else that goes along with this phase of life, it does sometime seems like the thrill of living is gone.  You don't always get to do you please.  You have to choose the well fare of others over what you want.  Not that it's a regrettable chore, but it can become a long haul road.   When you are in the midst of  the business of life it can seem that you will never again enjoy life as you did in your youth.  And you right, you won't.  Not because you'll never enjoy your life again; you probably will.  But as you age, your values and your interest change.  You will probably find that what thrilled you as a youth has faded and that new desires have taken their place.  I think many people will find that once that get through this hectic part of their will once again enjoy live, to some extent, to the way they had before.  

Stumbling Blocks

When I learned to walk, it was not like other kids walked, I more or less just stumbled about wherever I went.  (Not much has changed in 30+ years)  As I grew, I graduated from a walker, to crutches and eventually to walk on my own; yet, actually, I just became a better stumbler.  My favorite aid to assist me in the process was my father.  Daddy, in his prime, stood six-feet-seven-inches tall!  He was known among my friends as "The Giant".  Daddy was a very strong guy and this really showed when he was walking with me.  I can't remember ever falling; somehow he always managed to catch me and keep me steady.  Although Daddy couldn't physically keep me from stumbling, he did everything he could to keep me from falling.  When I did fall, Daddy did whatever he could to encourage me to  encourage me to get back up and try again.

        I have another Father who does the exact same thing!  This is God.  He is so big and strong.  He holds me in His arms at all times.  Even though He doesn't always remove all the stumbling blocks from my life, He does guide me down the path and He is there to pick when I fall.
                                                                              It has been a long time since I've gotten to stumble beside my Daddy. I grew up, as little girls do, and my paths did not always cross with his.  I suppose the last time I got to stumble with him was down the church aisle at my wedding when he handed me over to the man that I will stumble my life away with.  After I had my two precious babies, I had a hip replacement, which has helped my stumbling a lot.  My daddy is no longer here on this earth to stumble about with me.  And even though when I reach heaven, I won't be stumbling any more, I know that both my Fathers will be waiting to walk me down those streets of gold

TO MEDITATE IT TO BE CREATIVE

When I can truly focus on God and can  pour my hear out to Him, I feel alive.  Nothing else matters.  I'm not bound by my physical life.  I don't owe anyone anything.  I can be who God truly wants me to be.  I'm free; It's a freedom I know can only come from God's grace.  While it may only be for a short time now, I know it'll be for an eternity one day