poetgirl
05-02-2006, 08:45 AM
It breaks my heart to see how sad and alienated a number of you have felt lately on these boards, or worse, even in the rest of your lives outside the ICN.
I know it's hard to believe this when someone has done something to hurt you, or your symptoms are acting up and making it difficult to participate in activities like you normally would, but you all belong -- here on the ICN and in the world! We are all part of and give magnificence to this creation of life, whether it's a community of people brought together by health problems, or the larger communities in the world -- families, friends, jobs, hobbies, houses of worship or otherwise.
We all have something good and of value to share, even when we think no one is listening or our advice or perspective wasn't taken the way we might like. The people you thought might listen, understand or agree may not, but someone else you never even thought of may feel that's exactly what they wanted to hear or know and it's just made all the difference to them.
We all have ways of being involved and contributing in our lives even when we feel like we haven't lived up to our own expectations. Some days (OK, most days) I struggle to get out of bed, but my hope is that at some point after I've swung my legs off the side of the bed that I will do something that day which makes a positive difference in someone's life, even if it's just a smile. (And if I don't succeed that day, I get to go through the process again tomorrow. Another opportunity!)
You are all amazing people and have gifts of strength and grace in the face of adversity, compassion, and understanding that so many people blessed with better health could never intuit. The world is full of pain and suffering -- what better teachers and sources of comfort are those who have learned to navigate their own pain and suffering with determination, knowledge and self-care? The ICN needs you and the world needs you too. :angel:
I'm grateful to all of you. :grouphug:
I know it's hard to believe this when someone has done something to hurt you, or your symptoms are acting up and making it difficult to participate in activities like you normally would, but you all belong -- here on the ICN and in the world! We are all part of and give magnificence to this creation of life, whether it's a community of people brought together by health problems, or the larger communities in the world -- families, friends, jobs, hobbies, houses of worship or otherwise.
We all have something good and of value to share, even when we think no one is listening or our advice or perspective wasn't taken the way we might like. The people you thought might listen, understand or agree may not, but someone else you never even thought of may feel that's exactly what they wanted to hear or know and it's just made all the difference to them.
We all have ways of being involved and contributing in our lives even when we feel like we haven't lived up to our own expectations. Some days (OK, most days) I struggle to get out of bed, but my hope is that at some point after I've swung my legs off the side of the bed that I will do something that day which makes a positive difference in someone's life, even if it's just a smile. (And if I don't succeed that day, I get to go through the process again tomorrow. Another opportunity!)
You are all amazing people and have gifts of strength and grace in the face of adversity, compassion, and understanding that so many people blessed with better health could never intuit. The world is full of pain and suffering -- what better teachers and sources of comfort are those who have learned to navigate their own pain and suffering with determination, knowledge and self-care? The ICN needs you and the world needs you too. :angel:
I'm grateful to all of you. :grouphug: