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Daily Question, May 14

What are the opportunities in a recent, challenging life experience?

  • Linda

    New Career, end of a judicial challenge, new opportunities for spiritual growth, God is a living part of my life again, renewed faith, serenity.

  • Ose

    A recent, deeply challenging life experience in my case is an opportunity to repair or, with Gods help, heal wounds in several places. If I follow Deb`s beautiful approach in asking “what would love do”, it means to open a door again which I had closed may be already very early in lifetime.

    Dear Deb, please take this as a sign of hope for your reunion with your beloved daughter, that – as a kind of deputy – I will do my best to open this door towards my friend again. We are all interc...

    A recent, deeply challenging life experience in my case is an opportunity to repair or, with Gods help, heal wounds in several places. If I follow Deb`s beautiful approach in asking “what would love do”, it means to open a door again which I had closed may be already very early in lifetime.

    Dear Deb, please take this as a sign of hope for your reunion with your beloved daughter, that – as a kind of deputy – I will do my best to open this door towards my friend again. We are all interconnected, may be my opening will help her, too? I would so much wish it for you both as well. Being a daughter and may be for a part having done what your daughter seems to have done and just becoming aware of what I did, feel embraced and deeply thanked for keeping your love towards your daughter, dear Deb.

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    • Deb

      Thank you, Ose. As I tell her, I have loved and always will love her, I hope that some day she will remember the love we once shared with joy. It may not happen on this side of the grave, but I do believe it will happen.
      God’s blessings upon your continued journey toward Wholeness and healing of relationships, Ose.

  • Palm

    My recent challenge of having reduced my working hours to concentrate on my daughter has forced me to say no to requests that I cannot afford due to limited resources and energy. This has been hard but contrary to my fears of being loved less for that, people have accepted and respected me, I would say more

  • Valerie

    To trust Life on all levels, and let go of all reins – which are an illusion anyway – one by one.

  • kathleen

    Letting go and letting God. Knowing that there is something within me that knows the way allows me in difficult times to soften to what is unfolding and letting that be.

  • Deb

    Mothers Day. My challenge is living between the tension of being loved by two adult offspring and being eviscerated by another. To know the evisceration is sanctioned by her belief this is what Jesus would have her do. "What does Love do?" I ask. I will respectfully and with love quietly close the door, perhaps lock it but not throw away the key. I can no longer allow her access to accuse and blame me. I am learning to accept what is now and not what was then. I am releasing the dearest dreams a...

    Mothers Day. My challenge is living between the tension of being loved by two adult offspring and being eviscerated by another. To know the evisceration is sanctioned by her belief this is what Jesus would have her do. “What does Love do?” I ask. I will respectfully and with love quietly close the door, perhaps lock it but not throw away the key. I can no longer allow her access to accuse and blame me. I am learning to accept what is now and not what was then. I am releasing the dearest dreams and hopes I had then and embracing what I have now.

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    • Valerie

      Deb, thank you for sharing your heart with us. A hug today from mom to mom!

    • Antoinette

      Deb,
      Happy Mother's Day to you . I can't imagine how hard of a challenge you have right now. I can try to understand through how it feels when my boys have been gone for what feels like too long at there fathers house. The divorce is still new to me and the hardest part is feeling like I'm losing my children. Their not children they are 17,15, and 13, so in a way they are still kids. Anyway I keep having a hard time with this letting go process too.
      Sometimes the things we hold on to most tig...

      Deb,
      Happy Mother’s Day to you . I can’t imagine how hard of a challenge you have right now. I can try to understand through how it feels when my boys have been gone for what feels like too long at there fathers house. The divorce is still new to me and the hardest part is feeling like I’m losing my children. Their not children they are 17,15, and 13, so in a way they are still kids. Anyway I keep having a hard time with this letting go process too.
      Sometimes the things we hold on to most tightly are the things we actually do need to let go of in perfect to be free ourselves.
      I often feel like I’m not ready for this that or the other thing, but in all actuality, I believe we must accept whatever is rather than work against it.
      The present moment must be allowed to be whatever it is and when we allow it to be we can then act accordingly. We need to embrace what is and relax in the space of what it. We can then stop, look, and go gracefully. I know this can happen for both of us.

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      • Valerie

        Thank you for your beautiful and true words, Antoinette! My children are 16, 13, and 10, and I need to ground myself consciously in the now every day, as I sense the time of change slowly but surely approaching.
        It feels like birthing them into the world was so much easier then releasing them into it when the time has come …

      • Deb

        Thank you for your words, Antoinette. I remember reading once “Go with the flow or be dragged.” I think it more grace filled in these instances we both face, to go with the flow. Happy Mothers Day for you, too, with all the wonderful and difficult moments!

  • Caroline

    Physical pain in the back and legs: the pain is a reminder for me to pay better attention to the message my body is sending me, to focus on what’s important and to be grateful for what I have instead of focusing what I don’t have. It’s also an opportunity to empathize with other people’s pains, physical or otherwise.

    • Deb

      Caroline, I have been where you are and those are the same things I experienced, too. Blessings of moments of relief and good cheer be yours! Deb

  • Michael

    on Mother’s Day…the transitioning of my mom a little over a year ago. it has made me grateful I showed gratitude while she walked the earth. I get to reflect on wisdom she gave and love she showed. It has created even more empathy towards anyone that has “lost” a loved one.

    • Malag

      I’m with you on this, Michael. I lost mine a couple of months back. She was very old but still a loss. I have found perspective and I have what I can only describe as a very warm feeling around her.

    • Valerie

      Michael, it is beautiful to read of a son’s love for his mother, especially today.
      Blessings!

    • Deb

      May God bless your memories, Michael, and grant you remembered laughter! Deb

  • Christina

    I’m sick right now: started off as a stomach virus, morphed into a cold that appears to have lodged in my chest. It’s a challenge; but the opportunity is to not let it deter me from my spiritual practices, one of which is writing and reading in this forum.

    • Antoinette

      Dear Christina,
      I hope you feel better soon. Our health is so important to our outlook on life. I hope you can maintain a healthy positive attitude regardless of suffering.
      Sending you loving kindness and well wishes.

  • KC

    Many invitations to practice being in life honouring relationships and community and to discern and disengage from those that are not.

  • Kevin

    Deciding to have back surgery later this month instead of putting it off until early fall. The opportunities, if one can call it that, is that helps insure that I’ll repair some nerve damage sooner than later, and of course, hopefully feel better sooner too.

    • John

      Kevin, I don’t know the type of surgery you are going to have but two of my friends had herniated discs repaired with great results.

      • Kevin

        Thanks John, my upcoming surgery is a laminectomy with fusion, and the anticipated results are also very good. Thanks for the encouragement!

  • Antoinette

    The opportunities are now endless and I'm so grateful for having this hardship.
    The opportunity to change my attitude about how I look at life is the biggest gift.
    As the Buddha says:
    "We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves."
    This life changing situation has helped me to awaken to my life's purpose and what a gift it is!
    We never know what would have been if we went left rather than right. But perhaps wh...

    The opportunities are now endless and I’m so grateful for having this hardship.
    The opportunity to change my attitude about how I look at life is the biggest gift.
    As the Buddha says:
    “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”
    This life changing situation has helped me to awaken to my life’s purpose and what a gift it is!
    We never know what would have been if we went left rather than right. But perhaps what Rumi also says is true:
    “What you seek is seeking you.”
    In which case, no matter what,
    truth and love reside in me.
    The opportunity is to open up with compassion and love to everyone and everything. Accepting the moment whatever it brings.

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    • Deb

      I quite agree with you, Antoinette. It is good for me to be reminded. Thank you. Deb

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