What does this photo have to do with caregivers or patients dealing with any number of medical issues?
It occurred to me when I saw this photo that life is all about perspective, isn’t it? Where we stand, what we see, how we feel, what is our commitment, what is our guilt or denial level. At one point in time something looks one way, but a week or several months later, the same thing might look very different. Our perspective has changed.
We know caregivers and patients who seem to take in stride, at least on the surface, what life has dealt them with great resolution to make the best of whatever comes their way. We know others who are so overwhelmed with life that they can barely function. And then there are those who, no matter how dire the situation, are thankful and feel they have been blessed… always moving forward.
As a breast cancer survivor, I can distinctly remember thinking to myself and saying to others… I am going to beat this disease. Here is a poem that had great meaning to me 15 years ago as I faced my cancer.
“What Cancer Cannot Do…
Cancer is so limited…
It cannot cripple love, It cannot shatter hope,
It cannot corrode faith, It cannot destroy peace,
It cannot kill friendship, It cannot suppress memories,
It cannot silence courage, It cannot invade the soul,
It cannot steal eternal life, It cannot conquer the spirit.
If caregivers can hold on to a positive perspective, no matter what they are dealing with in life, no matter how difficult the situation may be, they will be able to get through it and beyond it. Not one of us is perfect. We get discouraged and depressed at times. But trying to be positive about our circumstances will make a significant difference in how we handle our daily circumstances.
(Photographer & Author unknown)
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