November 4--We Have Had Some Help Along the Way

Sometimes the worst thing that happens to you, the thing you think you can't survive... it's the thing that makes you better than you used to be. 
--Jennifer Weiner

    A couple days ago I put together several "puzzle pieces" of my life that have happened in the past couple of years. The assembly finally made a very clear picture of why this time has been one of great angst, grief, and disappointment. Seeing that completed picture, my first mental exclamation was "no wonder I was depressed!!!" I don't know if all this is making me better than I used to be--the jury is still out on that one!

    In "Every Day Spirit" on November 2, Mary Davis writes about how every person we have known who has passed on has changed our lives in some way. She offers these thanksgivings to those who have departed:

• Thank you to our parents, who gave us life, who loved us the best they knew how and taught us the lessons we needed most;
• Thank you to our children, gone too soon, who broke our hearts by their absence, only to transform us into something new, richer and deeper for having shared the beauty of their love;
• Thank you to our spouses, the one who walked with us, the one who left first, the soul mate who lives in our hearts;
• Thank you to our friends, who were companions on the road of life, who supported us through the joy and sorrows; 
• Thank you to our ancestors, who braved the challenges of their lives so they might pass on a better way of life for us;
• Thank you to the brave men and women who gave their lives willingly in protection of our beliefs and freedoms;
• Thank you to our teachers, guides and mentors who expanded us and enlightened us with their wisdom. 

    So many folks have touched us with love. Bless them all!

        Leta