National Day of Encouragement

I just read about this on a friend's blog and then, me being me, confirmed it on Wikipedia and checked out the day's history on their own site. So, according to my homework,

HAPPY DAY OF ENCOURAGEMENT!!

I'll be honest, I probably would have run with it regardless...just because it is a really cool idea. I like it almost as much as the Victorian May Day, where they put flowers on people's doorsteps...the sweet equivalent of ringing the doorbell and running...I've always wanted to do that one...someday I will. It's on my bucket list. Seriously.

ANYWAY! As I've mentioned before, one of the primary goals of this blog was encouragement, the other being education. So, I'm going to run with it today.

The mind-blowing synopsis it this "You Are Not Alone!"

First and most importantly, God is a Loving Father (even if your earthly father wasn't, He Is!) And has promised, "I will never leave you or forsake you." In those specific words, twice in fact, in Deuteronomy and Hebrews. And in Psalm 34:4 David even gave a personal testimony that He "sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all of my fears!"

Second of all, I have said before that parenting is not easy. I don't care if you have typical kids or kids with "stuff". It is NEVER goes according to what you had planned in your head before you got there. In fact, I am going to go one better, LIFE will not go the way you had planned. And, I'd just like to say, that is probably best. I am doing a Beth Moore Bible study of Esther and there is a phrase that is used in the Hebrew that sets up a story in a grand way that always "introduce impending catastrophe or doom". I dare you to pick a moment in the Bible where there is a catastrophe and where the final conclusion is not so amazing makes your idea of happily-ever-after look paltry.

Now, I'm hopefully far from the conclusion in my own life, but at every juncture where I seriously don't think I'll ever be able to lift my head from the weight, the mini-conclusions have me dancing more happily than I thought possible. Even over tiny stuff. I have a sneaking suspicion, it will only get better.

Our responsibility in this is to find people to help you with your burden and help them with theirs. If everyone's weight is lighter, AND you have a friend, then you have a mini-party right there!

I believe that we, as a society, and even more as a "Special Needs" community, tend to closet ourselves from each other when we struggle. When things are not okay we have difficulty reaching out.

Those whose life feels like it is imploding from pain and pressure don't want to reach out. We feel like it will take too much energy, that we don't have enough to spare. Those on the outside, who seem to be getting along pretty well, don't want to "interfere", "complicate", "rub their face in 'normal'", or "bother" those who desperately need the phone call, the visit, the cup of coffee, the written note, the prayer. This in turn causes those who are drowning to feel even more isolated and depressed, which makes the struggle even more exhausting.

Take it from me, even if you feel awkward, the phone call helps. Even if you write the same note as 10 other people and the same as you wrote last week, it is encouraging. I have an entire under-bed storage box of notes from when Elise was on Chemo. My kids will have to throw it out when I die, because I Cannot.throw.them.away. And I didn't have any idea who wrote more than half of them.

I dare you to reach out for someone this week. Encourage someone. Whether this is easy or not. It will bless someone. Even if things are going rough with you, you will not feel so isolated. Email me if something happens that is cool. Email me if things are so dark with you, that you seriously can't reach out...and I will make sure that YOU get the note that you desperately need!

Dark is dark, and a candle is SO MUCH LIGHTER, and someday, It Will Dawn. I promise.