Hope and Loss

Lisa Copen shared about this group on the invisible illness facebook page and I decided to join in.  Each day is accompanied by a prompt and the interpretations are as varied as the differing illnesses and difficulties faced by those of us within the group.  We are refusing to be disempowered by pain or a set of symptoms and the sense of community even in such a short space of time is tangible.  Here are my responses from yesterday which was the start date and today, my hope is that they will be a blessing to anyone who might drop by and read :-)

 Hope ~ This book reconnects me with the island in my memory.

Lindisfarne in Northumbria is one of those sacred places and despite the howling winds and the storm tossed sea, there was a peace in my heart that, I am not alone and all will be well:

"For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a hope and a future" Jeremiah 29 v 11

 

 Loss ~ I am a graduate from the university of life.

  This bear represents not only my loss in being unable to complete my degree course but for those precious family moments where I am conspicuous by my absence ~ kids birthdays, special church occasions, the first day of school, dance recitals and school pantomimes.  After a while the kids stopped asking or expecting me to show up.  Chronic illness runs to its own particular timetable.

 

Inspite of those lost years I refuse to dwell on the what ifs and should have beens and a quote that I read today sums it up beautifully:

"What lies behind and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us"  Ralph Waldo Emerson.

If you are having a bad day today, take strength from what constitues the core of your being x