This poignant story reminded me of of an elderly widow in our retirement community who was broken briefly by the trouble she had assembling her 8’ Christmas tree. She said, “There’s no one here! And he’s not coming back. . . .” I helped her with the tree, and yet she was the one who intuited how to put it together and did so.
Also, that widow will never forget you for the kindness you afforded her in one of her more mundanely desperate moments.
You served as the “body double”(context: psychological coping technique) she needed in a time where she was finding her footing, not just through new territory, but with the added weight of recent devastation.
You are doing your best. Ah oh gosh. This piece reminded me of something I’m going to talk to my mom about. Thank your sharing. And your full vulnerability. Be kind to yourself, to your worth, to your knowledge. You are doing the best you can and that’s all that matters.
I so appreciate you. You have the gift of encouragement and when I read your things, I become more and more convinced that you are one of those rare humans who have and are a window into what life is really about.
Thank you for your words. I’ve applied them like a salve.
The eye contact is what nearly broke me at the end.
This poignant story reminded me of of an elderly widow in our retirement community who was broken briefly by the trouble she had assembling her 8’ Christmas tree. She said, “There’s no one here! And he’s not coming back. . . .” I helped her with the tree, and yet she was the one who intuited how to put it together and did so.
Also, that widow will never forget you for the kindness you afforded her in one of her more mundanely desperate moments.
You served as the “body double”(context: psychological coping technique) she needed in a time where she was finding her footing, not just through new territory, but with the added weight of recent devastation.
Bless you for it.
The two great commandments of Jesus were to love God with all your might, and to love one’s neighbor as one’s self. And the Christmas tree was huge.
Yes, Jim, surely Jesus was seen in your face that day.
Post-natal women often experience a surge of confidence after surviving—and even triumphing over—the harrowing experience of labour.
Just before the birth, they commonly experience a sudden sense of inadequacy.
I’ve experienced this several times, no just in surviving the illness and death but in every new challenge and chapter I’ve had to endure on my own.
You are doing your best. Ah oh gosh. This piece reminded me of something I’m going to talk to my mom about. Thank your sharing. And your full vulnerability. Be kind to yourself, to your worth, to your knowledge. You are doing the best you can and that’s all that matters.
This seemed like a hectic day.
Aaliya,
I so appreciate you. You have the gift of encouragement and when I read your things, I become more and more convinced that you are one of those rare humans who have and are a window into what life is really about.
Thank you for your words. I’ve applied them like a salve.