Category: Pain

The unpleasant, hurtful feelings, both physical and emotional, that we all encounter.

Child of Indifference

Jeanne Leave a comment

Child of indifference
Please open up your eyes.
The eternal now awaits you.
So many different flowers shout in colors,
Sing in silence, touch in fragrance.
Child of bitterness
Please open up your ears
To hear the cries of morning as each new day appears.
So many different love songs are waiting to be heard,
From the cooing of a white dove,
To the thunder of a storm,
From the laughing of a young child who feels both safe and warm.
Child of many sorrows
Please open up your heart,
For only you can understand what part in life you play.
Child of tomorrow, let’s work for you today.

http://www.lds.org/friend/2018/03/heavenly-father-listens?lang=eng

Dreams

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It’s been a week of feeling old…I finally admitted to myself that I should get my hearing checked, and I was told that I have hearing loss, which is no big surprise because that’s why I went in. By the time I got done, I felt stupid for going in at all, and dismayed at the costliness of hearing aids, and their apparent short life. Accepting limitations is a tricky road to walk.

When the distance behind is greater than ahead.
And we measure that which might have been,
Against the clock of hours left,
And find we face an unkind choice of holding on
To dreams we know will never fly as we had hoped,
Or sweeping them from our view–under carpets–forgotten,
Until the day the house is cleaned,
When remembrances will prick the heart,
Where fragments of forgotten loves,
Have lain dormant for too many seasons,
And now have lost the strength to grow and flourish,
Never to match the youthful vision
That so powered mind and body in days gone by.


http://www.lds.org/ensign/2018/03/i-still-have-something-to-give?lang=eng
The link above is an article about feeling old and useless. I loved the lines from the poem by Leonard Cohen.

Paranoia

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The over-riding topic of recent days has been the school shooting in Florida. There is an overwhelming frustration and exasperation with the seeming inability to be able to predict and/or stop them from their ever increasing occurance. I read a blog this morning that rings true to me. The solution lies in all of us noticing and reaching out to individuals who are found on that downward spiral of isolation. Engaging them and reaching out can be, and usually is most terribly uncomfortable, and, hence, rarely done. Perhaps we could all widen our scope a little. We can be a little braver; we can all care just a little more.

Within our circle of friends
We feel both safe and sure.
We share our love with those most dear
Each and every morn.
But when we leave our own friends and family,
We find a world of strangers
All clad in mystery.
And in a world of swollen fears
And cold reality,
A mother holds her baby near
In anxiety.
For who knows where the danger lies;
The seen or the unseen?
What monster hides behind the eyes
Of someone’s twisted schemes?
And I refrain from talking to
A child I find alone.
For paranoia touches all;
The babe to the full grown.
How can I control my fear
When hate appears so strong?
I’d sing a fearful song
And life would be too long.

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2018-01-0030-become?cid=HP_TH_15-2-2018_dPFD_fMLIB_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng

Let’s talk about this. Let’s have a civil conversation about a difficult subject. Talk to me.

Wind Chimes

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Wind has many moods, in force and intensity.
We see it in a summer breeze, or at a storm at sea.
We feel it in a brisk, cool wind, as winter stings each soul,
Or in the warm, hot summer, as sweat cools it’s hot flow.

Like wind we each have many changes that temper and steel our soul.
Sickness, injury and death can burn and freeze our flow,
Yet there are many times when we feel wind’s pleasant breeze.
Our memories can ease our hearts with such a gentle ease.

http://www.lds.org/youth/video/learning-through-trials?lang=eng

Remember, Remember

Jeanne 1 Comment

I just finished a book, “The Time Keeper” by Mitch Albom. Since I have always been intriqued by ‘memories’, this book was also intriguing. It dealt with ‘time’. One quote from the book:

“You marked the minutes,” the old man said, “But did you use them wisely? To be still? To cherish? To be grateful? To lift and be lifted?”

Think of each moment as a grain of sand in the giant hourglass of our lives, and we hold that one grain right now. All the sand above and all the sand beneath–the past and future cannot be dealt with right now. Only one grain at a time.

Make memories, for that is what life is made of. Spend time with those you love while you have the time.

I remember precious moments in the past that give the present hope and light.. I love to collect memories and wish I could add to my collection every day. Days when I fail to do this are barren, and if there are too many ‘barrens’ in a row, life begins to feel meaningless.

We have nothing to remember if we do not savor life now. Memories are the acts of the present that bear fruit in the future.

Remember! Remember! from whence we’ve come, on trails of glory, from Thy Holy Son.
To prove on earth, our own true worth, This is our purpose, while here on earth.
Remember! Remember! to turn to Christ, so we may obtain eternal life.
Remember! Remember! The Holy Ghost, that He may guide us through Satan’s host.

Remember! Remember! Without our Lord, we could not follow His sacred word.
Nor understand His one true way, to lead us home to God one day.
Remember! Remember! His one true church that teaches us to pray, seek and search.

Remember to seek Christ when we are weak, with humble heart, sincere and meek.
The Holy Spirit will lift our soul, and help us know which way to go.
Remember! Remember! without God’s Son, we cannot return to the Holy One.

Remember! Remember! We have chosen Christ to guide us through earth’s trials to eternal life.
We need Thee, Lord, every hour and day; Thou art the light, the truth, the way.
Remember! Remember! To fast, search, serve, seek and pray,
And we will be lifted home to live and serve in our Father’s perfect eternal love one fine day.

Remember, Remember, Remember…….

http://www.lds.org/blog/think-to-thank?cid=HP_WE_1-11-2017_dOCS_fBLOG_xLIDyL1-A_&lang=eng

Ask and You Shall Receive

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I was reading in my journal today and found a little gem. “Stress of the extreme kind has a purpose. It drives us to plead for the Gifts of the Spirit required to endure something beyond our own conquest…ask and you shall receive.”

I would invite all readers to share your experiences and thoughts in the comments section. Have there been moments in your life when you have felt power beyond your own?

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2015-06-023-light-switch?category=topics/testimony&lang=eng

Love

Jeanne 1 Comment

Recent world events have caught the attention of us all: hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes. The news is flooded with images of the immensity of these catastrophes. Acts of kindness and heroism are abundant and remind us all of the power of service, kindness and love.

The story is told of a small group of swimmers caught in a rip tide. They were being pulled out into the ocean with no help nearby. A woman on the shore, seeing their plight, asserted that no one was going to be lost that day. Those on the shore formed a human chain that reached out into the ocean far enough to pull the stranded swimmers to safety.

Matthew 25:40 “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Thomas S. Monson, president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints spoke beautifully of these timeless principles: http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/04/kindness-charity-and-love?cid=HP_WE_6-8-2017_dPFD_fGC_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng

Love is found in each mountain. Love is seen in each sea.
Love runs, swims, and flies through now endlessly.
Love’s in the smile of a friend when they truly care.
Love’s in the kind word we give, when someone’s in despair.

Love powers hope, as faith grows within.
Love lifts us from sorrow’s worries and helps us to win.
The pure charity of Christ is the source of true love.
He gives the Holy Ghost, like the wings of a dove.

Happy Autumn

Jeanne 1 Comment

Several years ago I penned a note to my grown children. I would like to quote pieces of it here: “I was walking to work tonight and noticed a lot of Halloween decorations..blow-up stuff, etc. and thought about how I liked them. They are ‘comfort’ things, like comfort foods: foods you eat because they trigger an emotional good feeling. Well, these decorations did that too. They made me feel happy and warm, and when I thought about why they did this, I realized that they open up memories that were good ones, like past Halloweens when you kids would dress up, and how excited you were. Carving pumpkins. Decorating the yard and house. Crispy fall leaves and cooler darker nights.

I suppose it’s not all that stuff that I really love. It’s the feelings that were associated with those activities. They were times when we were all happy and excited, and we were together and shared an experience that made us feel good, safe, and loved. Also, Halloween is the gateway for the holiday season: Thanksgiving and Christmas, which also have their own magic. I am warmed and softened as those memories fill up my mind. All these things make up what we really are…down to the core…stuff you can’t change…things that ‘override’ everything else. Things usually hidden away that only come into our conscious mind when we see something like a pumpkin, or a Christmas tree. Strange, isn’t it? That such simple stuff can be so powerful. I hope you have some good memories that pop up every now and again..the kind of memories that bring tears to your eyes, hope in your heart, and a love that fills you to overflowing. If you do, then all those things we did together were truly great and remarkable. Take the time to pause and drink in the season!”

This piece was especially appealing to me because I am tired to the bones of this long hot summer. Perhaps if I put out the fall decorations, summer will accept the fact that it’s days are numbered, and perhaps we will get those cool nights!

Wishing things were different is common to all of us, I suppose. Which brings me into thoughts of wanting to change the unpleasant, the sad, the terrible, and the painful. There is much of that in the world, and I am reminded of the Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

I believe that a loving Heavenly Father sent us here to learn and grow, and that we cannot effectively do that without resistance, pain, perplexities, sorrow, etc. But He has given us a light. It’s true that comfort, peace, and guidance are available to all of us who learn to humbly come unto Christ. See lds.org and type “For God So Loved The World” in the search bar, and view the video.

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-10-042-for-god-so-loved-the-world?cid=HP_FR_1-9-2017_dPFD_fMLIB_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Adversity

Jeanne 1 Comment

Adversity can build the muscles of each troubled soul.
Without opposition, how can we choose to grow?
We learn through pain and sorrow to have more empathy.
Persecution can turn us to prayer and deeper charity.

A redwood tree grows strong and tall, but it’s roots don’t grow so deep.
Against the wind-tossed storms of life, one lone tree finds little peace.
But as they grow together, as their roots intertwine,
No gale that blows can topple those giant redwood pine.

We choose not to stand alone through our adversity.
We turn unto our loving God and friends and family.
We pray for help and plead for strength that we may overcome,
That through our trial, we may learn true wisdom from God’s Son.

Hate, anger and bitterness cause cankers on ones’ soul.
Repentance, forgiveness and patience help our inner peace to grow.
Adversity can be good or bad, it’s up to us to choose
To grow in understanding, or let Satan light our fuse.

We choose to use adversity to humble us to God,
To strive for help through prayer and hold fast the iron rod.
We gain strength from friends and family as we let our roots entwine.
Together with Christ’s true church, adversity becomes a tool to strengthen each heart and mind.

Real faith is something that I believe takes most of us a lifetime to acquire, if we ever do at all. I find myself in the same spot of struggling with reconciling God’s will for me, and my own plans and desires. I can have faith if I feel that God will grant me my desire, but my heart tells me that isn’t real faith, that’s just expecting God to fill our orders, and that is assuming that we always know best…The video clip in the link below addresses that very problem very well, and challenges me to ask myself, “Does it really matter?”

There is a scripture in Ether 12:27 in the Book of Mormon that is quoted in the video clip. What are some of your thoughts about faith, humility and adversity?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/topics/adversity?lang=eng&_r=1

A New Year

Jeanne 2 Comments

On January 1st, I’m usually thinking of how I ought to improve myself. Well, today I feel sad and concerned for a number of individuals in my neighborhood who have serious health problems right now. One dear sweet young lady died last night. another lingers on the brink. Another young lady continues a valiant battle with cancer. Another friend is recovering from a serious accident that will take months to recover from. There’s a heart problem, a shoulder problem, and bowel problems. And so I’m feeling sad today and turned to a journal entry on Memorial Day that expresses my sadness, but also opens the windows of sunshine. I’d like to share it with you. It is written about my Dad.

“I visited your grave today…green grass, the monument, your name, the dates–reminders of a time when you were here. I can visualize your face, and hear your voice. I remember many things: places, holidays, road trips, meals, good times and bad times. I feel the emptiness of your absence and the sadness in it’s wake.

The pain and loss, I think, would be too much to bear, if I thought at all that you yourself really lay beneath the ground. But, no, I do not feel, in fact, indeed, I know, you still live on, the very same, just beyond somewhere. I do not need to see or hear, or even know the place. I only know you live again and we will be together–another place, another time.

I am consoled. I feel hope and rejoice in the reality of a plan that allows me the chance to associate with those I love so much forever, only to be tested with a brief separation that we call death, but is, in reality, just a mysterious journey to an unknown land.

I will not disappoint you. I will not waste time pining about the past and let your absence disable me. I know you would want me to care for others like you cared for us, and to create an existence with an abundance of love and laughter, hope and good things. And so I will revel in the associations I have now. Each minute, each encounter and event is a sacred opportunity and chance to feel and share love, like you gave to me, with those I love her and now.

So Memorial Day means to remember all those whose graves we visit, and to honor them by building timeless, loving memories with my special family I am so fortunate to share my time and space with.