Sometimes....

When life's throes become too overwhelming, a good cry is often the best thing for me. More often than not, I just need to give it some time. That way I can gain perspective. It has taken me years to learn that lesson. I had to learn another lesson the hard way. Most people when they, "need to talk" really just need a good listener. I have been trained as a peer counselor as well as a rape companion/advocate. Most of my mental health training has hinged on a key concept: people have their own answers, they simply need a good listener to help them find their own way. People in difficult, vulnerable, or out of control circumstances aren't really helped by someone putting in their own thoughts... They need to take back control of their own lives. I am blessed to have married my best friend & confident, but I have not always known who I could best trust to lean on for support. I tended to be drawn towards those who would tell me what I wanted to hear, rather than those who would listen. A true friend...someone with my best interest at heart, will tell me what I need to hear. I suppose that comes back to the notion of caring enough to confront. I have seen people glob on to folks in need & try to impose their own viewpoint....& it leaves me wondering what their real motive may be.....It is a hard, hard road to watch others go through this.

Caring Enough To Confront

One of my brothers gave me that sage wisdom when I was in middle school...do you care enough about someone to confront them or just let them go on as usual?....about too much eye-shadow, some character trait, some slight you feel towards or from them...you get the idea.
I talk too much. I have been wrestling with this my entire life, but very intensely over the last couple of years. I chatter away incessantly when I am nervous & want to be liked or accepted. I talk too much when my sleep has been messed up. I cover depression by talking too much....I feel knotted up afterwards...& am always filled with questions I wanted to ask people about themselves....


A couple of years ago, a group of beloved people all but dropped me for reasons that over time, just didn't add up.....All sorts of things have run through my head. I guess, rather than talking to ME about it, they talked to each other about me... I recently learned that it was because I talk too much...Rather than confronting me & "hurting [my] feelings", those people chose to virtually step out of my life...Of course, that wasn't a conscious decision..."Indecision is a decision"...
Perhaps, they were put in my life to be God's voice & give me the answer I so earnestly prayed for..... In the long run, which would have been the kinder thing to do? How many friends & loved ones have I lost over this? Even as I was wrestling with it, myself....

Miss Annie

Have you ever met someone and felt like you have known each other forever? Someone who instantly reached down into the depths of your heart and warmed your very soul? I ran into Miss Annie at the garden center and we hit it off immediately. She felt like family from the moment we met over a beautiful lily.
I firmly believe that God places people like this in our lives. Sometimes it is in a moment when we need some reassurance or companionship. Often, we don't know why the specific time for the encounter was chosen, but it truly feels ordained. The feeling is uplifting and lasting.



Perhaps we were chosen to encourage or be a companion to the other person. Hebrews 13: 2 says, "Do not forget to enter strangers, for by so doing some have entertained angels unaware." I don't know why we are blessed with "Miss Annie's" in our life. I do know that when we live a rushed life, we miss out on heaven-sent opportunities for companionship and warmth. I also know that Miss Annie was an angel to me in the time that we shared.