Saturday, November 14, 2009

~ The Power of Support ~


We all need, thrive, survive, bloom and grow with the support and love of others!

Of course there are times in our lives when we would rather take a beating than admit those truths I am certain. We can convince ourselves that all we need is "our self", we are enough, we are "strong", "independent", "capable of weathering any storm alone", or how about this one, "we don't trust anyone with our feelings or our pain"!  Try as we might, we all reach a pivotal point in our lives when the light bulb goes on and blinks brightly... the message desperately trying to get our attention; a song may raise in volume on our stereo, its words ring out, or we may be quietly reading and find a sentence just jumps out at us....
Today may be that turning point... NO WOMAN OR MAN IS AN ISLAND!

We all need someone, sometimes we need many someones' to and walk along with us on our paths. Another person and even the four-leggeds';  to love us, to affirm our dreams, our fears and to remind us that "we are good and/or did good"!!!

This picture shows support that was that moment for many. Notice the varied ages, the many people who came together as strangers, and ultimately stood together for that photo as kindred spirits, united in the universal threads of their stories; their pain, their healing and growth. They shared intimate details of their inner-most secrets there with each other, feeling fragile but safe somehow, trusting they would not be hurt by the other while sharing their stories, their lives. They leaped and sure enough... the net appeared for them. It can appear for you as well, allowing you to once again bounce, enjoying the freedom of feeling lighter knowing that your story and even your pain has been shared, your troubles given up. You may even find you like bouncing in the air after hitting that net that appears feeling freedom not known since childhood, maybe... just maybe it will even feel better than it did back then!

The downside to that love and support though... yes there is a down-side, unfortunately. And, the downside is that there may be times when groups or people come together forging close and loving friendships for a while, but then they for whatever reasons, seem to just drift away. Sort of like beautiful shells that are on the beach... you see them, admire them, and then without rhyme or reason, they are just gone. Gone from that special place they once occupied so near and dear to you. Leaving you to wonder why, how...

Of course there are other reasons as well, it may be that we are blessed by people coming into our lives for a reason, a season and a time... and when those reasons, seasons and times have been nurtured, filled and changed... they are gone. Leaving precious memories, lasting treasures in our hearts of what once was.

But then again... I think sometimes folks get disappointed by relationships formed as people stop coming around, stop seeming to care... particularly for no apparent reasons. It brings up abandonment issues; it brings up hurt feelings and feelings of wishing you hadn't trusted and hadn't risked your heart. It may be that expectations were had, different expectations. That's the problem sometimes, people each with expectations, but they don't talk about them; leaving each other not really knowing but feeling disappointed that their needs weren't met.

The moral of this day's blog is this:

If you have shared your journey, if you have risked with another in good/bad times... cherish those times. Reach out and contact those folks, make a phone call, touch base. We never know what struggles someone is going through right here, right now. We never know what impact our call of hello and concern might do to brighten a day and restore some faith. We can only hope that if we were feeling alone, our phone might ring with a familiar voice on the other end saying, "I was thinking about you today, and I just wanted you to know. I hope you are well, can we chat for a while?"  That alone could boost someone more than you know and facilitate their belief in the power of support and the resiliency of the human spirit. Much like the spirit of those you saw in that picture at the beginning of this writing! Are those that you have bonded with in good health, are they having a great and happy time now in their worlds, are they facing a struggle... pay it forward, give them a call, (unless of course you have "torn the blanket" for reasons that do not fit in this writing!)
We are all interconnected, a part of the great medicine wheel, we have walked miles in our mocs... together in many journeys.

But then again... there are those few and trusted friends. Those who come into your life for the rest of your life. Those who settle into your heart and your life for not just the good, but the hard and bad times. And once through the storms of life and tears, riding the bolts of lightning with you, they are still there... standing beside you in awe with you gazing at the majesty of the rainbow. They are there for always, if not side by side, merely a phone call away. These kindred spirits are often the ones that you might sit and think of when out of the blue, your phone rings and it is them... on the other end of the receiver! Hearts and soul connections like that cannot be broken, not in life here or in the next place. WE are truly blessed to have 1, 2 or 3 of those friends in our lives.  Yes, friends, acquaintances and folks will come and go... all for a reason I am sure. Think not harshly of those you have walked alongside... they were all there for a reason I am sure, we learn from all we share a space with, and we give and provide gifts to them as well. We are all a part of the greater circle of life that way.

"I have seen that in any great undertaking it is not enough for a man to depend simply upon himself" (Lone Man, Teton Sioux)

Walk In Beauty.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awsome post. So true about people and relationships, people that come and go. Better to think that the ones that come for awhile, then go, were here for a reason, or a season. How easy it is to pick up the phone when we are fondly thinking about someone than to let the moment pass. I have heard you say many times that someone has taken a walk through your mind. Would like to think that when that happens for me I can reach out my hand and touch the person I am thinking of.
Will work on that... I to am a work in progress... aren't we all?

Vicki said...

This was some group! I was very fortunate to have been a part of it~ and we were all so very lucky to have had you as our counselor.
I will always be grateful for having you, Sherry, guide us along this very difficult part of our journey...The Star Group...

Anonymous said...

My friend Vicki suggested that I visit your site....I must say, INSPIRATIONAL. I only wish that I had known of you when I had been struggling with my own grief, after my husband passed on. Not that the pain ceases...only fades away, and the good memories last.
Thank you Vicki for informing me of Sherry, and her website.
Mary