Remaining Steady In The Storm

There is no greater lesson I have learned in my life than “when you go through hard times you find out who you really are and what you are made of.” 

I learned this countless times throughout my childhood where I felt loved but never felt like I quite fit in. I really understood the meaning of this when I lost my mother suddenly when I was 16. And when a year ago I lost my father to cancer and my unborn son to miscarriage in less than a 24 hour period, this quote stood between me and a dark abyss.

Life can be hard. Life can be brutal. Life can be terrifying. But it is in these dark times that we must remember that “this too shall pass”. And just on the other side of now can be a life more beautiful and blessed beyond measure.

~

As the news of the spreading worldwide coronavirus began to snowball over the past few weeks, I found myself trying to remain calm, in a state of information gathering and in a place of preparedness. Yet if I am being honest, of course I became increasingly concerned day by day. By all reports, I am not quite in a population of greatest risk and concern to contract the virus. And if I did unfortunately contract it, by all statistics I am not at highest risk of severe impact (said certainly prayerfully).

I realized what was bringing me the greatest concern was the unknown. How will this affect my everyday? How will it impact my home? How will it impact the lives of my loved ones? Will everyone I know and love be okay? How will it completely change the world around me for now and forever more? So many questions and not a single person in the world has the answers.

~

As tonight’s breaking news updates about the pandemic came in like rapid-fire, despite all my best efforts to remain calm I instantly began to feel like I did when life was hard and I didn’t know what was on the other side of now.

But as I said earlier, one of the greatest lessons I have learned is when you go through hard times you find out who you are and what you are really made of. As I felt my anxiety start to rise tonight, I remembered who I was and all the hard things I had crawled through in my life. Now is not the time to panic. Now is the time to go inward and search for strength because it is there. Now is the time to rely on the person I know I am. I have been through many days in my life where I just couldn’t picture how I could make it through tomorrow, but I somehow did. There is no doubt this will be an uncertain, scary and possibly painful time for myself and us all. And there is no telling how long it will last. But somewhere beyond this time of uncertainty, life can be beautiful and blessed beyond measure.

~

I decided tonight that although I choose to stay aware, informed and as prepared as possible with relation to the current pandemic we are now facing, I will do the things that have time and time again helped me through uncertain times in my life. I will refocus on wellness and how I treat my body. I will double down on my faith in God, it has not failed me. I will refocus on my home, doing what I can to continue to make it my place of safety and refuge. I will commit to reading more often both for personal and professional development. I will recommit to connecting often with family and friends, and thankfully the technology of our times allow us to do so effortlessly. And most importantly I will recite to myself as often as necessary that this too shall pass.

~

I know this virus has already caused much personal pain, destruction, heartache and loss of life. That is not lost on me. It is simply heartbreaking. I will keep those affected very personally in my thoughts and prayers always. I will take the necessary precautions to reduce my chances of being impacted myself and affecting those directly around me. And as I see ways I can support my communities and those less fortunate in these uncertain times, I commit to do so.

~

This is who I am, created from what I have been through, and this is what I am made of.

This is how I will remain steady in this storm.

~ C ~

Preparation

Lately a theme that has been weaving itself throughout my life is preparation. It’s as if I am staring from a 50 thousand foot view of my life and everything occurring now is necessary for the next scene to unfold. Yet unfortunately I can’t see exactly what is going on in that next scene.

I’ll come across online articles, news clips, books or even people that I feel a somewhat weird yet divine connection to. As if I needed to have these particular encounters in preparation for what is next for me.

I wish I knew what was next, but I suppose I’ll find out in due time. In the meantime, I’ll continue being open to the preparation currently taking place in my life.

~ C ~

Life Reminders

Today in various ways I was reminded of three important keys to life:

  • A vision board that regularly sits outside of one’s line of vision is as useless as the paper it is made out of.
  • Our bodies have an incredible way of telling us exactly what we need in life. The question is how often do we listen?
  • There is purpose in pain. We may not understand it at the time, but the pain is part of the preparation for something even greater.

~ C ~

There is light at the end of the tunnel…

Eight months ago I couldn’t even imagine the light at the end of the tunnel.

Life really has been (and will continue to be) step by step.

With time and faith as my teachers, I can say with 100 percent certainty that I previously was not prepared to get to that light.

I am a completely different person than who I was standing at that dark end many months ago.

I stand confidently today knowing that I am now ready for whenever I make it through this tunnel.

It won’t be the end. It will be the beginning.

~ C ~

Preparing for a New Season…

The word “season” has come up in my life recently over and over again. How the past brutal season has fostered such growth in my life. How this current season has pushed me to be better. How there is such optimism for the season on the horizon.

Now obviously I believe deeply in how seasons, of all types, impact our lives. There is something so powerful about seasonal shifts that we go through. Even when they are bumpy or painful at times, it is all part of the new beginning.

As I begin preparations for this coming Autumn, I can’t help but wonder what is in store for me. I don’t know what’s around the corner but I am preparing and welcoming it with open arms.

~ C ~

I can feel the tides changing…

It’s the strangest thing, but I can feel that the tides of my life are changing. For the past several days I have felt like I am currently growing through something. It’s as if I can physically feel the atoms of my body moving in some new direction.

In one respect this brings me great hope. Given all that has occurred in my life in 2019, I am beyond ready for a new direction. With all the positive changes and discipline I have incorporated in my life over the past year, I only pray it pays off in dividends.

However on the other hand I am anxious about what is to come. Although I have been cautiously running towards change these days, it doesn’t mean I’m not scared about what I’m blindly heading towards. This particular tidal change feels like a really big and possibly exciting one, yet am I just wishful thinking? And what is it? Could it be just another twist and turn in the painful path that started 8 months ago. I honestly just don’t know. But I feel something happening…

I will welcome change, growth and new tides in my life. But I am going to let my higher powers handle those details. I am just going to keep walking my journey, one foot in front of the other, preparing myself for what is coming.

~ C ~

They prepare…in the summer.

A coworker and friend used to share daily inspirational stories with me. Some caught my attention and others not so much. However when this one came across my inbox I was instantly hooked. There was just something about the wisdom of the ants that spoke to me.

With the summer solstice finally here, I keep this reminder top of mind. While the daylight is long, there is much work to do. The ants might be small, but the lessons they give are immeasurable.

Welcome summer.

~ C ~

(Many thanks to whoever out there wrote this much needed story. And to my wonderful coworker/friend who enlightened me with it.)