NO PAIN....NO GAIN.......

Just as I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.......

"Have you ever felt that even though you're taking things 'one day at a time'....it's about twenty-four hours more  than you can take?  Busy weekend ahead, tomorrow Will's graduation tomorrow and Saturday Nicci's wedding shower.

Each day you try and face the hurt in the world .....it touches you, but it doesn't.....but too many good and old friends are leaving my world now and I can only imagine their loved ones pain.  I have lost grandparents, parents, friends and a divorce  and gone through the pain that hits you so hard the ongoing pain plasters you to the ceiling.  Healing comes in stages:  FIRST, WE CHURN.....a process often compared to having your insides ground up in a meat grinder, or having a knife plunged into your chest.   SECOND, WE BURN.....as the shock wears away and the anger takes its place.  We may want to kill the person who walked out on us or hurt us or even be angry at the person who died leaving us alone. Our anger can be loud or silent.  THIRD, WE YEARN.....for things to change.  We go over and over the happy past, the good old days.  We know dwelling on the past is futile, but still do it anyway.  FOURTH, WE LEARN......a lot of things.  We learn what we are really made of.  We learn from others who become our support group. We discover we are in a process of long, slow growth.  We find our values are a real part of who we are, not something we'd like to be. FIFTH, WE TURN.......to God. We finally see that we can do a lot of thinking, feeling, and talking but only two words .....WHATEVER, LORD...... Things happen for a reason......just believe.  Goodbye to Maryann, Mr Rigby and Dixie Dillion.