The Doctor is IN!

"Time heals all wounds"  N.o.t!-------- N.a.d.a!-------- N.e!-------- N.o.n!-------- N.a.g.e!

NO, not all, but yes, some....at least in my life, time does heal most wounds.  I don't cry at the thoughts of my deceased husband any more.  There are no feelings of hurt or grudges at a man who abandoned me 4 years ago.  A divorce did not cause lingering anger at anyone.  The pettiness of a colleague does not bring to mind each of the instances when she did the petty stuff.  And on and on.  Hurts become nousainces and are mostly forgotten.

In my teaching to those who hurt, I have often explained it this way.  (A medical professional told me it is not exactly correct, but overall good enough to make my point...lol)  If I break a bone, it will heal with time...completely...but it may be off-center or otherwise imperfect unless a professional caretaker 'sets' it right.  However, an infection on/in the body with open wound may get worse as time passes by...medications and protective coverings are needed for some wounds to prevent the spread or worsening of wounds.  The passing of time may heal or it may fester our wounds.  See a doctor and get the right treatment.

To me it is like this with the wounds of daily life.  The reality is that we all get wounded in life. 

I recall an old story of a little boy who was instructed by his Mom to go out on the dark, cold back porch and get the mop to take care of a kitchen spill that he had made.  He went to that scary dark porch a few times, but could not bring himself to venture down to the far end of it where the kitchen mop hung on a nail on the wall.  Fear was this little fellow's pain.  Finally, he just confessed to his mom that he was afraid to get the mop.  Her reply was that there was nothing to fear because God was with him and would protect him.  His reply was, "I know that, Mom, but I'd rather have someone with skin on to go with me."

Aren't we all like that.  God is good enough until we need to feel his skin upon ours.  Skin to skin; face to face; sharing warmth and courage and caring.  Everybody needs someone with skin on during the hard times and the threatening times.  This is the protective covering, the healing salve of many of life's pains.  And sometimes when we try to go it completely alone, we heal imperfectly like a crook in a bone that healed completely, but without proper setting...we didn't call the doctor.

Sometimes when observing such folks in those hard times, we are just too quick to judge...or I should say, to misjudge.  Most of our human pains come from some connection to relationships. And these are the most difficult to heal because so much is out of our control...at least a whole half of it!  We can't make someone apologize or change their ways.  In fact, we can't even make them understand that they've hurt us sometimes.  This circumstance truly takes time...what doctor would be appropriate...just bleed and heal; forgive.

Healing human emotional pain takes caring enough to know the truth, especially about ourselves.  And that so often means we have to confront the one causing the pain.  Or, we have to confront our own guilt in hurting another.  Personally, if I know the truth of what happened, my compassion rises.  Or perhaps, someone was misquoted or misrepresented and I needed to know the truth so as to not blame them. Just as someone may have hurt me; I know I've hurt others too.  How dare I do anything but forgive!  

You can tell I'm partly just rambling today.  And I'm partly, and very sincerely, hoping that your life is filled with people with skin on....good skin...the kind that sticks to yours and offers further insulation from the hurts of life.  If there is ever anyplace where we'll all need this it is in our most private lives.  How awesome the love of people who know that to value what makes others happy is the greatest gift we can offer.  How awesome to have friends who remind you that they care and they hope all your dreams come true...and they offer no harm or discouragement.  I hope you understand how awesome this is.  It is rare and of the highest value to have such friends.

I love you, my friends.  May I always be a faithful friend to you and love and cherish all that is treasured by you.  

Throw the bandaids out of your medical kit.  Get help to set the broken bones of life right and apply the salve of true and sincere friendship-love to the open wounds.  They will heal and life will renew like the skin itself does over and over in our lives.  There are good things coming your way.  Believe it.

And thanks to Gary...I love you and hope I only bring good things to your life...as well as my friends who respect you.  In our life together, I hope the doctor is always 'in.'

To my readers....May ALL your dreams come true and make paths to celebration.

Mary