Carrie's TOUCH

Moving Forward

This post is a few days past the New Year because I wrestled with how to put my thoughts, feelings and well wishes into words. As someone whom is normally on the “comforting others” end of things, I found myself in a quandary because I was actually the one in need of comfort. 

You see, while doing my normal end-of-year cleansing and purging, I made a bitter/sweet discovery. I found a document that, unbeknownst to me, had “paralyzed” me spiritually and emotionally since October 2010. WHAT? October 2010?!! What on earth happened? How could this be?  And, why am I just realizing this information had such an impact on me? Well, for me, the answer is simply this: Quite often when we are presented with information that overwhelms us (I.e., loss of any kind, receiving a cancer diagnosis or other situations that impact our lives negatively) one of the ways the body deals with the blow of devastation is denial. We deny how much the situation or news affected us and we continue to push through… 

Denying my feelings about the situation was easy because I was working on our major project, the “Breast Cancer Exposed” calendar among other things like family, school, church, etc. Much of my time and energy was spent on completing these chapters in my life leaving little time to focus on the unsettling document. When the situation was brought back to my attention during my season of cleansing, I knew it was now time to face what I had avoided for more than a year! It was time accept what was and more importantly, it was time to move forward… 

There are tons of self-help programs designed to aid in moving us from where we are to where we want to be. I believe the “right” program or process depends on the individual. For me, it was embracing the profoundness of the Serenity Prayer (see below). In the end, I stand firm on belief that in order to move forward, begins by taking 1 second, 1 moment, 1 hour, 1 day, 1 month, 1 year – ONE STEP AT A TIME! It’s a New Year and what better time to face the situations we’ve avoided and have left so many of us paralyzed. 

With new beginnings on the horizon, here’s to moving forward one step-at-a-time in 2012! 

God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change; the courage to change the things we can; and the wisdom to know the difference! Reinhold Niebuhr