Thoughts

Have you ever sat down and thought about your friends or family and what they might be going through?  Things they may not be saying to you or anyone else.  The secret, hidden chambers of the heart where they may be holding on to thoughts that they don’t even recognise but that impact them every day.

My father-in-law has been suffering physically and often doesn’t have the energy to do anything he wants to do.  He broke his back some time ago and has not been right since.  Sometimes it’s his balance, sometimes he can’t stand up, sometimes it’s sheer exhaustion from not sleeping…lots of different reasons.  Now, I’m well aware that he can’t be finding this easy.  He used to love going out walking with his wife and they would take Johnathan out for walks or to the play place or to the park or wherever but yesterday even a short walk from the taxi to the house was enough for him. 

I will admit I can understand something of what he is going through.  I understand that generally men of his era and culture were used to seeing themselves as the “man of the house” and that they felt they could take care of anything that came up.  And now he can’t.  It’s been a hard mental shift for him and I can see and recognise that.

When I moved to Scotland, I had NO idea of the changes that were in store for me.  I didn’t know or understand the FREEDOM I would experience when Kevin taught me to accept the physical disabilities I had and to begin using a stick (which he bought me) and use it as a support.  When my physical health grew worse, he sold things and bought me a scooter.

You might wonder if my physical disabilities just got worse, was it really worth it?  Should I have used the support a stick gave me? Well, truthfully I believe it was. You see, if you don’t accept it and carry on with life, it (what word should I use here) deadens you and makes you less able to accomplish things.  And so in turn it then has an impact on your mental health, because you can’t live the life other people want you to.  You can only live your life and live it to the full.

But of course it doesn’t have to be physical or mental wellbeing.  It can be ANYTHING.  So many things can be causing worry or upset or distress or even abounding joy.  You don’t know what’s going on with anyone until you actually sit down and talk to them - whatever format that will take.  Since covid, we have discovered that not everything has to be done in the same room.

Love and blessings