go easy bro
it is abundantly clear to me -this week- that life is inordinately difficult. yes, it is full of joy and moments of peace and excitement; but, we all endure agony and disappointment below the surface. i have found that if someone seems to have a perfect life, that is only because i do not know that person intimately enough to see the underbelly of his existence.
i have the fortune -or misfortune- to be in a position to know about people's skeletons far before they are wished to be seen. sure, my job as a hairdresser facilitates these gatherings of information, and being in a bishopric causes me to often hear things i wish i hadn't; but, in reality, it has always been this way. i know alot of people, and for some reason i am trusted with information from many sources...often even from the origin of the event. do not confuse this with thinking i am a gossip. nothing could be farther from the truth. to me gossip is one of the great evils of human existence. i do not participate.
often, the tragedies of life are merely the natural consequences of the decisions made by the individual. "as a man soeth, so shall he reap" and all that. but at times, misfortune seems to be distributed arbitrarily.
just in the last couple of months, friends of mine have experienced:
*the suicide of a brother,
*the death of a 24 week old child,
*divorce,
*loss of a best friend,
*struggle with faith,
*isolation because of "coming out",
*cancer and chemotherapy,
*loss of a job,
*putting a parent in a "home",
*preparing for a spouse to possibly enter a federal penitentiary.
my life seems charmed by comparison.
when i see people slogging through these events in life, i often wonder where one finds the strength to endure these dark days. perhaps this comes from the fact that the sun comes up tomorrow regardless of our desires; and, one way or the other, one must face each day and deal with the realities of life. what else can one do?
i/we have been through days that i wish i had never experienced, and i found myself ready to move forward because of my religious beliefs. al gore might call this a "faith tradition." i know that no matter what life sends my way, my family and my belief in God will see me through. this knowledge is one of my greatest assets.
i have the fortune -or misfortune- to be in a position to know about people's skeletons far before they are wished to be seen. sure, my job as a hairdresser facilitates these gatherings of information, and being in a bishopric causes me to often hear things i wish i hadn't; but, in reality, it has always been this way. i know alot of people, and for some reason i am trusted with information from many sources...often even from the origin of the event. do not confuse this with thinking i am a gossip. nothing could be farther from the truth. to me gossip is one of the great evils of human existence. i do not participate.
often, the tragedies of life are merely the natural consequences of the decisions made by the individual. "as a man soeth, so shall he reap" and all that. but at times, misfortune seems to be distributed arbitrarily.
just in the last couple of months, friends of mine have experienced:
*the suicide of a brother,
*the death of a 24 week old child,
*divorce,
*loss of a best friend,
*struggle with faith,
*isolation because of "coming out",
*cancer and chemotherapy,
*loss of a job,
*putting a parent in a "home",
*preparing for a spouse to possibly enter a federal penitentiary.
my life seems charmed by comparison.
when i see people slogging through these events in life, i often wonder where one finds the strength to endure these dark days. perhaps this comes from the fact that the sun comes up tomorrow regardless of our desires; and, one way or the other, one must face each day and deal with the realities of life. what else can one do?
i/we have been through days that i wish i had never experienced, and i found myself ready to move forward because of my religious beliefs. al gore might call this a "faith tradition." i know that no matter what life sends my way, my family and my belief in God will see me through. this knowledge is one of my greatest assets.
posted by cm at 8/24/2006
<< Home