When a person looks over an entire lifetime, most often the sunny days outnumber the stormy ones. When you’re in the midst of a life storm, though, it can seem like the sun will never shine again.
I’ve had my share of life storms. I experienced poverty, the tragic death of a brother, the demise of my parent’s marriage, relocation, estrangement, bullying, and sexual assault before I left high school. By the time I was thirty I had bounced back from workplace sexual harassment, serious illness, an abusive marriage, a medically fragile child, bankruptcy, and divorce.
In my late 30’s, I faced a breast cancer diagnosis. Full of energy and feistiness, I was the picture of vitality and health. I didn't even want to be bothered with that annual exam. I huffed about the inconvenience of having to take time out from my busy schedule, felt annoyed about finding a parking place, the shabby magazines, and time wasted in the waiting room. The last thing I ever expected to hear was, "We're going to send you for a biopsy, Beth. TODAY. Is there someone who can meet you at the hospital?"
My perspective changed immediately. Instead of thinking about emails, contracts, and commitments, I now had only one image in my mind. The two boys I'd be picking up later that day at the school bus stop. At the time my children were pre-teen, and they needed me.
The next seven days I waited silently for the biopsy results, imagining what the news might bring for our family. Without a doubt, it was the hardest week of my life. The Sunday afternoon before my test results were due, I received an unsolicited message from a psychic medium. I had never heard her name before that day, and I’ve never heard from her again. I was walking through a school auditorium waiting for Brian to finish a class, and she approached me.
“I just want you to know,” she said, “those test results you’re waiting for will be negative. You are not going to have cancer, Beth. All of your life struggles have already occurred. The rest of your life will be spent helping others. Your past challenges will become their future inspiration.”
That was an odd and unexpected experience! I have to admit, I slept better that night and took comfort in her certainty. She was right. The diagnosis was negative. Other than that very difficult week, my life after divorce has moved steadily uphill.
Today when I look back over the difficulties in my life, I see clearly that the happy days far outnumber the difficult ones. Still, those tough times were TOUGH. I consider myself a resilient woman, one with an abundance of optimism, but to be honest, there have been times in my life when I thought I’d never get out of bed again.
Through these experiences, I’ve developed some reliable recovery strategies, and I want to give them to you in this little e-book. It's 12 pages long and is designed to help you navigate any crisis.
These are things that I did in addition to therapy, spiritual development, personal coaching, Reiki, energy work, and lots of love and support from others. If you’re having a tough time in life right now, give the suggestions on these pages a try.
Download the book here:
Prefer video? If you are not a "reader" I complied the ebook into a short video. Enjoy it here:
Meanwhile, please remember this:
No storm lasts forever.
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