Counting Blessings - In Difficult World Times

[Lynn]

Hello Members

I thought I would start a thread where "SUNSHINE" is the world we live in. Now don't get me wrong I know full well that the Sun rises and and the Sun sets. This brings on Light and Dark.

I am not one to say life is all sunshine and roses, as a rose does have a thorn to it. What I do know that if we fall into that dark place we never see the sunlight.

Right now we are in times we have never seen before, yet we have seen them before just that most of us were never conceived at the time. We have seen times of war, times of famine, times of plaque, natural disaster, and yes flu and other illness. What happened in those times is that people pulled together and got past it.

I look to The Village Eyam I visited in England where when the Black Death came to that small village from cloth that came from London. To stop the spread they put their faith in the villages around them for support and closed themselves off from the World. To keep the surrounding villages safe they made a sacrifice.

Stop and imagine having to bury your own family, to watch without supports them pass away. Not being able to hold a funeral service ( sound familiar) on some levels.

I was so very sick last October (with maybe Covid 19) as some reports say it could have been here that early, in a strain of it. I am waiting to see if I with 2 family members whom also were ill in November and December can be part of an anti body study. Never have I been so ill, nor has my husband or daughter. We were down for over a month all of us. Home and bed ridden.

I count my blessings that we all healed, and that we learned a lot from it all.

Now I wonder if coming from being so ill, that continued on with me, as this year has not been a great one for me. We hit "Lock Down" and I was down literally again flat on my back. This time I had Sciatica with no way to have any medical attentions, to the point the hospital was thinking I just wanted to be "high" on pain meds.

This went on and on, to where I finally got some help from a Chiropractor that was open in semi defiance. Yet I was not healing just getting by. There was a point I told Heart to take me out to the hills and leave me to die. I was that much in pain.

We got to go back to life, and I was to go back to work. I could do nothing but be at the door greeting people. My leg was swollen, but I counted my blessings to be able to be doing something. I was still in pain but I was out of the house.

I wondered some days if "this is it" am I on my way out. Again I stopped and counted my blessings. I was moving a bit, I was getting by. Work was amazing with me in supports. I had some relief with THC Oil.

Getting ready for work one day suddenly I am bent over in pain stomach pain like no other. Off to the ER I went and found I had a kidney stone. Now that is the worst pain anyone can ever have. I passed it and the next day the swelling in the leg was way down, I could bend over again, I could move more. I counted my blessings again that kidney stone it seems was causing the issues. Yet the Sciatica was on the left side the Kidney Stone was on the right side, but it was blocking the flow of fluids and nerve function.

I counted my blessings yet again, while I wish that pain on no one and I never want one again that Kidney Stone was a blessing. I count it that way.

So I hope that you can see that while I hit that place without SUNSHINE in my life I never gave up on counting my blessings.

Lynn

The possibility of Sunshine is sometimes all we have to hold on to, and in the darkest of times it has to be enough, lest we have nothing.

https://youtu.be/FscIgtDJFXg

And then there's Soulshine.

https://youtu.be/pDIQ7Otf1mw?list=PL...w9Ed9VLBLVn A

Thank you..

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by Lynn

Hello Members

I thought I would start a thread where "SUNSHINE" is the world we live in. Now don't get me wrong I know full well that the Sun rises and and the Sun sets. This brings on Light and Dark.

I am not one to say life is all sunshine and roses, as a rose does have a thorn to it. What I do know that if we fall into that dark place we never see the sunlight.

Right now we are in times we have never seen before, yet we have seen them before just that most of us were never conceived at the time. We have seen times of war, times of famine, times of plaque, natural disaster, and yes flu and other illness. What happened in those times is that people pulled together and got past it.

I look to The Village Eyam I visited in England where when the Black Death came to that small village from cloth that came from London. To stop the spread they put their faith in the villages around them for support and closed themselves off from the World. To keep the surrounding villages safe they made a sacrifice.

Stop and imagine having to bury your own family, to watch without supports them pass away. Not being able to hold a funeral service ( sound familiar) on some levels.

I was so very sick last October (with maybe Covid 19) as some reports say it could have been here that early, in a strain of it. I am waiting to see if I with 2 family members whom also were ill in November and December can be part of an anti body study. Never have I been so ill, nor has my husband or daughter. We were down for over a month all of us. Home and bed ridden.

I count my blessings that we all healed, and that we learned a lot from it all.

Now I wonder if coming from being so ill, that continued on with me, as this year has not been a great one for me. We hit "Lock Down" and I was down literally again flat on my back. This time I had Sciatica with no way to have any medical attentions, to the point the hospital was thinking I just wanted to be "high" on pain meds.

This went on and on, to where I finally got some help from a Chiropractor that was open in semi defiance. Yet I was not healing just getting by. There was a point I told Heart to take me out to the hills and leave me to die. I was that much in pain.

We got to go back to life, and I was to go back to work. I could do nothing but be at the door greeting people. My leg was swollen, but I counted my blessings to be able to be doing something. I was still in pain but I was out of the house.

I wondered some days if "this is it" am I on my way out. Again I stopped and counted my blessings. I was moving a bit, I was getting by. Work was amazing with me in supports. I had some relief with THC Oil.

Getting ready for work one day suddenly I am bent over in pain stomach pain like no other. Off to the ER I went and found I had a kidney stone. Now that is the worst pain anyone can ever have. I passed it and the next day the swelling in the leg was way down, I could bend over again, I could move more. I counted my blessings again that kidney stone it seems was causing the issues. Yet the Sciatica was on the left side the Kidney Stone was on the right side, but it was blocking the flow of fluids and nerve function.

I counted my blessings yet again, while I wish that pain on no one and I never want one again that Kidney Stone was a blessing. I count it that way.

So I hope that you can see that while I hit that place without SUNSHINE in my life I never gave up on counting my blessings.

Lynn

Thanks for sharing.

Life does have its ups and downs.
but then............. there are also turns in the road
begging us to find out what is around the bend.

As for me, the strongest legal drug I have ever had was fentanyl.
and then I have been told at times to take an aspirin....... which I reply "What for?"

Lately, I have been restless which means I might be talking off for another adventure.....

[ameliorate]

I view gratitude as being very important to keep life sweet and not become bitter.

In my 20s I had 3 close encounters with death (various accidents) which caused me to assess my life and priorities, thus going down the spiritual path (realising that marriage, kids and a mortgage held no appeal to me at all!)

More crucially those experiences left me with an unwavering/constant appreciation of being ALIVE - something so easily taken for granted. I can truly say that each day I wake up with this gratitude.

But in the end, he only smiled and talked of simple pleasures.
He reminded me that at his age, a good fire was better than anything.

Quote by Ten Bears
From the movie: Dances with wolves.

I have been reminded of this truth in my aging years.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by ameliorate

I view gratitude as being very important to keep life sweet and not become bitter.

In my 20s I had 3 close encounters with death (various accidents) which caused me to assess my life and priorities,
thus going down the spiritual path (realising that marriage, kids and a mortgage held no appeal to me at all!)

More crucially those experiences left me with an unwavering/constant appreciation of being ALIVE -
something so easily taken for granted.
I can truly say that each day I wake up with this gratitude.

Wonderful post, ameliorate. I feel I know you better now.
Thanks.

Lynn, I never saw your post or thread - yes, last yr, which seems like yesterday to me,
it does sound like Covid! A month, oh my.

On the bright side I really learned something from you -
You had a swollen leg caused by a kidney stone blockage...that is hugely helpful in my business.

I see all and any of my 'issues' that pop up as learning experiences and perfect for me, even when to others it looks like a huge problem.
Nope - it's for me to learn something, It's all good.

Lately, I'm really into reading and listening to interviews with Rob Schwartz.
Even, tho, I had a great perspective on life circumstances ---I even have a better one now! Ha!
Thank you, Rob!

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by ImthatIm

Quote by Ten Bears
From the movie: Dances with wolves.
I have been reminded of this truth in my aging years.

Yes, like a Buddhist perspective: "Ah, a strawberry!"

(The monk hanging by a root over a cliff with certain death ahead -
---it's a famous Zen story.)

[Native spirit]

I Like Imthatim's post that really resonates with me



Namaste

[peteyzen]

The truth is nothing lasts, its all change. A volcano goes through its Yang stage and erupts, but eventually it changes to Yin and ceases to erupt. In bad times, try to remember that at some point, good is coming, the volcano will stop erupting. Also another great practice in bad times is to look for the good stuff. I have a cold, and feel terrible, but I have a wife to look after me and a house to be ill in. We are generally given what we need to ride out the bad times.