Pain is something unique to all of us. It can be physical or emotional. It can heal or be stowed away. It can cause irreparable damage or great change. It's up to the individual to either turn pain into an experience or a handicap. No one can remove the pain, no one can carry the burden or lighten the load. If we are open and willing we can be loved and guided through.During the most difficult times of my marriage I would have a re-curring dream: my husband, my eldest son, and I were standing on a long, very thin strip of beach. Behind us, an enormous mountain. In front of us, the vast ocean. To the left and right of us, nothing but shoreline. In the distance was an approaching tidal wave. The three of us stood in fear of our fate. My son tried to run. I screamed out 'Yanni, the baby!', but it was too late. The tidal wave came crashing down on us, ripping our bodies off the beach, pulling us up and under, then washing us back on the shore.
I have been incapacitated by fear more times than I should admit. I never feared for my safety and well being, but for that of my sons. Our life was a roller coaster ride. Tidal waves exist in the schoolyard, the home, the workplace, the world. They come in all shapes and sizes, but cause the same destruction.
Never judge. We don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Children, wives, husbands, grandparents, and pets, can all be victims of abuse. Through my experiences has come a greater respect and determination to help those suffering silently in a dark corner. I have been fortunate with the love and support of good friends. Others are not so fortunate. It is to those who I turn my attention and prayers.
If our experiences in life do not serve to make us more aware, compassionate and loving, then the alternative is a tidal wave.
Theodora - Wonderful message, an excellent analogy and thoughtful insight... I copied it, noting the author for future reference and referral. Many years ago I performed doing theatre, stand up, spoke at organizational events and might return to it. Should that happen your article is what I call a 'launch point' as it sets my mind in motion. I have old note books and now computer files with clippings, articles, cartoons, etc that I go to when I want to write, create or just think. I have never discarded those files, have not added to them in recent years until today. Thanks.
ReplyDeletePrior to opening your article I was sitting this morning thinking about the foolishness of youth; mine, my friends, my children, the youth of today and tomorrow and realized surviving is a reward, it seems just too obvious to say, yet we just don't understand how wonderful it is until the tidal wave washes away and we are on the beach again, that although the beach is forever changed... it is still the beach and we are on it.
Everyone faces a tidal waves.