Rising up from the Ashes
by Judi Lynch
We have all heard the quote from philosopher Frederich Nietzsche “What does not kill you makes you stronger” and I have repeated it many times. Not only to others but also to myself as a reminder that there is a reason for every challenge, every hurt, and all the negative situations that life has to offer.
I recognize that if I am still here and breathing, then there is a very good reason to make the most of every moment that I have. I have lost so many friends and family members I thought would be here in human form until old age. Since the soul never dies I know they are lending their energy from the other side, but I never imagined that so many of them would leave so young, so soon. Sometimes I jokingly say out loud “Hey, thanks a lot for leaving me here without you!” Even though I know they are still around in another form.
In my life, and in my spiritual work, I have encountered so many people facing different kind of challenge imaginable. I have seen heroic courage and complete despair. We have choices to make at every turn. We make life and death decisions all the time even though we may not always be aware of it. With hope, belief, trust, spiritual faith and support, we can recover what we think has been lost.
A male relative of mine spent once several weeks in a mental facility due to his extreme depression and suicide attempts. I drove out to see him every night during visiting hours. It was obvious that the medicine they were administering was not taking effect and he seemed to be in a constant state of confusion and sadness. It was a hard place to visit. There are so many people walking around mumbling, sad, sometimes agitated and angry. One night I was sitting there talking with him and a nurse turned on the radio. They were playing a Gloria Estefan song “Coming out of the Dark”, a song she wrote after recovering from a serious injury after an accident. Right then, in that very moment, I knew he was going to come through this! I knew he was going to heal. It took a little time and a lot of courage and support, but he recovered from this deep depression and was able to function normally again.
What a blessing that his attempts at taking his life had failed and he got the help he needed! In time, he was back doing the things he loved, playing golf and boating out on the river. He could not even believe that he had ever tried to end his life. He told me that was another person inside of him and he was not that person anymore.
