Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Heal





heal

verb \ˈhēl\


a :  to make sound or whole <heal a wound>
b :  to restore to health
2
a :  to cause (an undesirable condition) to be overcome :  mend <the troubles … had not been forgotten, but they had been healed — William Power>
b :  to patch up (a breach or division) <heal a breach between friends>
3
:  to restore to original purity



I have been thinking about this concept a lot lately. I was talking to someone who is going through something similar that I went through a few years ago. The darkness and just plain torment I went through daily. At some point, Marc would tell me that I was "healing" and I didn't believe him. 

I know my friend is healing also and I told her so.  Of course, she didn't believe me, like I didn't believe Marc.  I then said how I learned through my healing process, that healing hurts. Physical, emotional, spiritual.  Healing is a painful necessity to restore wholeness in ourselves.

I then thought of a book that has been part of my passion for helping those less fortunate than myself. Nobody Don't Love Nobody is a book documenting a teacher's, Stacy Bess,  experience working at the homeless shelter in Salt Lake City.  



It is such an inspiring book that it has motivated me to become a teacher someday,  especially to children in poverty. Towards the end of the book she talks about more about adult homelessness. Although homelessness is so complicated, she said the homeless adult is the unhealed child.

Perhaps in a nutshell, we can say many who are suffering-homeless or not- are unhealed OR healing.  And in that healing there is pain that is not understood as healing and then the cycle of pain continues and that healing never happens.

I know that if I didn't have the amazing support system I had in my darkest time, I would not be healed. If I didn't have faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I would still be in darkness. 

Stacy Bess continues by admonishing all of us not to judge the homeless, but to love them.
Isn't that best medicine for healing EVER.  Love.


Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Ripple

rip·ple
ˈripəl/
noun
  1. 1.
    a small wave or series of waves on the surface of water, especially as caused by an object dropping into it or a slight breeze.


or

rip·ple ef·fect
noun
  1. the continuing and spreading results of an event or action.



I have thought about this a lot.  How our small, seemingly insignificant actions affect the universe.  I can't help but think it would be cool to think if an action we do has some kind of effect that goes on and on.  The smile we shared with a stranger two weeks ago has effected someone somewhere random today from the ripple effect.  You know what I'm saying?

(A cute picture book that illustrates this sweetly is a book called Mordant's Wish

(http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312054366l/2894685.jpg)


Our actions, have a ripple effect.  I admire and revere Mother Teresa as you know, and she talks about this very thing.  She stated, " I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."

Beautiful. 
Image result for mother teresa with children
(http://wwwassociation.org/images/mother-teresa1.jpg)


Another person on my "never-met-yet-favorite-person" list is Elder Jeffrey R. Holland who poetically delivered the most  stirring talk concerning poverty a few conferences ago.  He also gave counsel as to our role as disciples of Christ to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.  His plea was to  "do what we can".  


Make a ripple.  Smile. Serve.  Care.  Do what you can.  Our actions make a difference.

Image result for ripples
https://30rak.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/pebble-in-the-water.jpg)























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