Sunday's Heartfelt Challenge.....

This is a post that has been rumbling around in my head...but I wasn't sure how to frame it for my blog. The last thing I want to post is a "poor, pitiful me" entry...but I know that there are far more women (and men) that are going through something similar and it is for them that I am writing this.
So to start.....what is a Heartfelt Challenge? It is a reminder in our busy lives to reach out to those around us. It is not that we don't mean to do something special for someone else...we just get really busy...or we think of things that will take more time, more money--so the idea gets shelved for another time. By issuing a challenge...I am giving you an idea for something simple you can do...not a guilt trip, but just a nudge and a reminder that it can be something as simple as just picking up the phone.

I am in a situation that many find themselves in. My hubby is very ill. We have days that are great...and then we have days that are like the last three...where no one has had any sleep...we are all cranky, worn out and just want to hide for a bit. I am very fortunate...I have a best friend that I can call to whine to at 3 in the morning if I need too, my son is home right now--living here while attending school so he can help me out a bit (this is such a huge gift to me that I don't even know how to thank him for---and it comes with the guilt that he should be out living and creating his own life), my mom is nearby and checks in and is always sending over a new plate of some new recipe she has tried!!

But there are others dealing with these same struggles...be it a spouse, child, parent, or other....it can be so isolating!! People can judge you for being a bit (or maybe a lot) cranky at times--they don't realize the nights you have gone without sleep...or worried about finances....or just feeling alone. Living with this is much like a death.....when friends and family first hear of a health crisis, they rally to lend support, pray and just a listening ear. But even though you continue to live with this...their lives move on and you are dropped from the social calendar because you have had to turn them down so many times. They just take for granted that you "can't" and just don't bother to offer any more.

I can't tell you what it means for someone just to take the time to pick up the phone and call....and allow you to really share your heart...and not just pretend everything is wonderful. We get tired of hearing, "I don't know how you do it"....because we know that there are days when we are at the ends of our rope and we don't handle it well and just want to go to bed ourselves, pull the covers over our heads and hide for awhile. A card in the mail is a gift.....just that reminder that someone does remember you!! These are great ways to let someone know you are there...as a visit to the home can sometimes be stressful, depending on what is going on there.

So our Heartfelt Challenge....pick up the phone or mail a card. It costs so little to do these things in time and money.....but what it will do for someone that needs this lift.....priceless. Find someone in your church, your neighborhood, your workplace...and reach out to them!! It will do wonders for your heart as well.

Hugs to all of you!!!
Debbie