Disabilities

How Do You Help An Injured Porcupine?

How do you respond when your life gets interrupted by—well—life?

This isn’t the article I planned for this morning. I’d already written something insightful and thought-provoking—a certain masterpiece (at least in my mind). All it required was a few finishing touches and it would have been here to greet even the earliest risers.

And then—life happened.

I’ll spare you most of the humiliating details. Create your own mental image if your wish from an overview involving a shower, equipment failure, and a short fall to the floor in a somewhat “compromised” position. I was hopelessly wedged into a spot I don’t even know how to describe.

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It’s Awfully Easy to be Judgmental

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. ~Carl Jung

He saw me glaring at him.

As he walked slowly and deliberately to his car in the handicapped-reserved space beside mine, I did everything possible to silently display my contempt. He obviously didn’t need that spot. I wanted to make sure he knew that I knew and that I disapproved.

I’m not sure why I felt the need to be the parking space police that morning. I was having a particularly hard time getting my chair situated beside my car, and I guess I wanted to vent my frustration on someone else.

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I’m Different: An Abundance of Eyes

eye2-2 God has given you one face, and you make yourself another. Shakespeare

Are you different?

As a wheelchair user, I’m probably hypersensitive to differences. Even after twenty-two years of rolling around, I still feel uncomfortably conspicuous.

My inability to stand up makes me stand out—or at least that’s how it seems to me.

Distinctions are interesting. They spark debate, generate controversy, and attract attention. Life would be bland and boring without the diversity that makes each of us unique and truly one-of-a-kind.

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Mental Illness Statistics in the USA

Mental Disorders in America Mood Disorders Major Depressive Disorder Dysthymic Disorder Bipolar Disorder Suicide Schizophrenia Anxiety Disorders Panic Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Social Phobia Agoraphobia Specific Phobia Eating Disorders Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Autism Alzheimer’s Disease For More Information References Mental Disorders in America Mental disorders

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In Sickness and in Health

When does a person think about health? For me, this question surfaced when I was sick, when I was far from healthy. For years I thought I was a healthy person. My doctors had declared how healthy and strong I was for my age. Then, very much to my surprise, I discovered that I had cancer. Health flew from my mind and disease and debilitation and death took health’s place. The plain and simple fact that a biopsy had found a significant cancer in my body immediately effected my identity. My sense of self was instantaneously altered . I became, from that hour of discovery, different. I was no longer healthy. Who was I? I was no longer even myself, but a cancer victim, and might soon become a cancer survivor. Whatever the outcome of this dread discovery, I thought I would never be the same.

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Codependency, Hardship and Stress – A Testimony

I just want to share how God has blessed me. The past few years have been difficult as I’ve been recovering from codependency. One of the hardest things I’ve struggled with has been anxiety, which reared its head as I started to let go of the codependent behaviour. I realized that there was so much fear underneath all the controlling I had been doing all those years. I was having panic attacks all the time. had to go on meds for it and depression too. I thought my life was coming to an end because of how bad I felt.

That’s why social events like Christmas were a nightmare. I was also reacting to my parents because I had a lot of rejection coming to the surface. I felt like a teenager around them because everything they did made me cringe.

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I ASKED God and He SAID

I asked God to take away my addictions and behaviors.­
God said, No.­
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.­

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.­
God said, No.­
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary­

I asked God to grant me patience.­
God said, No.­
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
it isn’t granted, it is learned.­

I asked God to give me happiness.­
God said, No.­
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.­

I asked God to spare me pain.­
God said, No.­
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.­

I asked God to make my spirit grow.­
God said, No.­
You must grow on your own! ,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.­

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.­

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