Today's challenge is to find someone else's words to inspire me.
I found:
"Difficulties in life are intended to make us better, not bitter" - Dan Reeves
Wow! How true is this?!? I need to write this down and post it all over my house. How often do we find ourselves feeling bitter over our own or our child's diagnosis? Feeling bitter over what life has dealt us? Feeling bitter over the "why me?" mentality? Every so often I go down this road but really it doesn't do anything for me. It doesn't change the situation that I have three kids with chronic illnesses (2-have T1D and 1-has Hemophilia). It doesn't put more money into my bank account. It doesn't give me more coverage on our health insurance. It doesn't ease my mind.
So, I take my bitterness and channel it into a "when life gives you lemons; make some damn sweet lemonade!" I advocate like crazy. I'll get in anyone's face (Congressmen included) to talk about my kids illnesses. I find ways to let the public know about these diseases. Because the more people know, by creating awareness, the better chances we have, as a chronic illness community, to get money to fund research and find a cure! Does doing all this make their chronic conditions go away? Does it make my kids living with this disease any better? NO! But it's more proactive than sitting in a corner, crying, "WHY ME"!
I plead with you to think about this quote if you are feeling bitter. What one change can you make to take your chronic illness and make it better?
