REFLECTIONS ON LIFE LESSONS

Road of Life, Jamestown, NC

I've got more days behind me than ahead of me,

so I plan to choose wisely and make the most of them.

It matters not how long we stay,

But that we learned love is at the very core of our existence.

Being in relationship with our creator and fellow sojourners,

Is necessary for us to travel throughout our assigned age.

Never lose the opportunity to learn and grow,

And life will remain forever enlightening.

Our senses of sight and sound can only detect a small spectrum,

But that may just be in our best interest of actual physical reality.

The greatest loss in life is not death,

but what dies inside while still living.

Courage does not always scream and shout,

But whispers I’m still alive and I’ll try again.

Besides, what’s considered the worst thing,

is not the last thing.

 

TIBETAN PRAYER FLAGS

Tibetan Prayer Flags, Jamestown, NC

PEACE, HAPPINESS, COURAGE, LOVE, TRANQUILITY & WISDOM

These traditional Tibetan Prayer Flags are placed where one desires to bring harmony to the surrounding area. Tibetans believe that as the flags are moved by the wind, prayers and mantras on them will spread goodwill and compassion into the pervading space.

Thoughts and prayers help us to align ourselves with the actions required to accomplish the harmonious will of all creation.

“Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.”

THE GIFTS OF PAIN AND FEAR

A New Day, Kiawah Island, SC

Worry, Anxiety, Courage and Hope

Pain and fear are great gifts from God that none of us want and none of us can live without.  We all go through seasons of worry and anxiety because of the nature of the broken world we live in and the function of the early development deep within our brain that alerts us to danger for survival.  When I first read about the “gift of pain” in a Philip Yancey book, I was incredulous that pain would even be considered as a gift.  But on further examination it became apparent that without the sensations of pain that are transmitted to our brains we are subject to all manner of life threatening injuries.  Sadly, the many instances that result in the loss of limbs in lepers is not the direct result of this terrible disease, but the loss of feeling on nerve endings which leprosy destroys.  This lack of pain sensations results in a person not alerted to a severe cut or infection that soon can cause the loss of a limb.

The amygdala area of our brain provides us such critical functions as automatic breathing and the “gift of fear”.  Once Again, calling the very real experience of fear a gift seems to be a big stretch!  But we’re a direct product of the DNA of our very early ancestors that were primitive survivors of all manner of threats to their lives such as volcanic eruptions and attacks from saber tooth tigers!  Today we have weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, plagues and many other new threats to our existence.  The red flag of fear results in the automatic response of fight, flight or freeze!  Even today this response can save our lives, but if the response begins to recycle in our head it can also quickly get out of control.

Adam Hamilton in his book on Unafraid offers an acronym to combat our fears:

·         Face your fears with faith.  (Scripture can be helpful)

·         Examine your assumptions in light of the facts.  (Don’t rely on a runaway imagination)

·         Attack your anxieties with action.  (Therapy can be helpful)

·         Release your cares to God.  (Turn over those things totally out of your control)

·          

The instruction “Do not be afraid” in one form or another appears over 140 times in scripture.  That teaches us that fear like pain is ageless but faith can help us find peace.  Many heroes have stated that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but rather moving through our fear in spite of it.  My physical therapist helping me recover from a total knee replacement advised me to consider pain as “weakness leaving my body”. 

One of my favorite quotes from Mary Anne Radmacher is that “Courage does not always roar.  Sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day that says, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”  Biblical scripture offers us both courage and hope and my favorite quote comes from Paul in his letter to the Philippians (4:6-7); “The Lord is near.  Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.  Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.”

KAREN STRONG

Blood Donor & Karen 2003, Blowing Rock, NC

I still intend to do all the physical work that I’ve always done until I sense it’s time to grow old gracefully. For instance, I loaned my extension ladder to a friend a few years ago and then simply told him to keep it. I knew the last time I was on the top rung of that ladder climbing onto my second story roof that I shouldn’t be doing that! Last weekend I schlocked eight bags of Colorado river rock from Home Depot into my car and out into my back yard to extend my garden paths. I sensed that I shouldn’t be doing that after I lifted the first bag off a pallet on the floor into an elevated shopping cart. The consequence of that smooth move was a bleeding internal hemorrhoid. Which prompted a visit to my GP and a blood test.

The hemorrhoid was quickly subdued but the blood test revealed a White Blood Cell (WBC) level over the standard limit. I had also tested over the limit about a year earlier, which prompted my doctor to refer me to a hematologist the next day since I was travelling out of the country in the near future. Elevated white blood cells can be a sign that your body is reacting to an infection and instructing your bone marrow to kick up production of the little white fighters. It can be serious. So I lingered in anticipation of the appointment, understanding that facts are much more useful and more realistic than our human imagination. And I needed a resolution in case I needed to call in my trip insurance policy.

Needless to say I was more than a bit anxious, but I reminded myself that I am never alone and God has promised to be with us at all times. And I had the example of my wife Karen who bravely and strongly met her breast cancer head on and never wavered until the end in her determination to fight it with God at her side. I was fortunate to be in a position to ease into retirement at the time, so I was able to be at her other side through the lengthy ordeal. And I admired her tenacity and trust in our Heavenly Father. So I fell back on her example and constantly reminded myself to be “Karen Strong” whenever negative thoughts crept into my head. And it worked as a warm calm equipped me to face whatever fate awaited me at the specialist’s office.

At the designated time, I found the new offices for the medical center and proceeded on the elevator to Suite 300 on the third floor. Much to my chagrin, the door was stenciled with the bold words “Cancer Center”. The Big C hit me square in the face as I walked into the appointment. But I reminded myself to be “Karen Strong” and I calmly checked in with my medical documents to cover most of the expenses. A technician called me in to siphon more blood from my arm for another analysis, once she mercifully hit the uncooperative rolling blood vessel on the third try. She firmly wrapped my arm in a brightly colored strap. Then a PA called me in to ask another litany of questions such as “Have you lost any weight lately”? My knee jerk response was “Sadly, no”. She then asked if I was “scheduled for surgery?” and I responded “Absolutely No”!

The specialist finally called me into an examination room. My expectation was that my GP didn’t have the heart to give me a straight answer, so he scheduled the specialist to give me the bad news. He quickly informed me that my WBC count was well within range and the ratio of their four components was in perfect balance. I was astounded and relieved so we spent the next ten minutes talking sports and the photos of his daughter documenting her graduation from a local university and their walk down the aisle at her wedding. A quick examination revealed no problems and I was excused.

I can be a bit flippant now that the ordeal is over, but it was getting awfully serious there for a while. And the knowledge that my Heavenly Father was at my side and the memory of my wife’s “Karen Strong” courage is the praise that I will now embrace for the indeterminate balance of my life.

HAIKU SUNDOWN

Island Sunset, KI, SC

The sky glows golden,
as intercoastal waters,
absorb its beauty.

Long shafts of sunbeams,
light the radiant aura,
as the sun withdraws.

Graceful white egrets,
slowly glide over the marsh,
as dark shadows fall.

Cool breezes refresh,
as suntanned sojourners pause,
to seize the moment.

Insects sing praises,
with the rhythm of the waves,
as they rise and fall.

Island timekeeping,
is measured by watching tides,
as they come and go.

Courageous folks pray,
“I’ll try again tomorrow”,
as daylight dissolves.