Taking on the Challenge of Inevitable Change
Change is always there waiting for us and sometimes it’s a rough ride on a bad road……
“What? This isn’t arthritis? You mean there’s something growing inside the bone in my leg?”
That was not a happy day for me, an active baby-boomer… But the need to change and adapt is ever-present, whether it’s good or lousy.
We can fight it – but sometimes we just have to accept it. And in the acceptance we see how the changes imposed on us can call out resources of strength, love and resilience that were hidden away, untapped.
Instead of asking “Why me? Why this God?” we learn to ask a different question. We begin to see that we can ask for help. We can ask for wisdom from friends and from above. We can put out the S.O.S. call and see the blessings that come in the answers. It’s O.K. to be weak and afraid when life pulls the rug out and throws us down on the mat. You know, it doesn’t feel good at all to be weak, tired and afraid. But, as the news of the impending amputation was delivered, so were the responses of friends and family. Sometimes I needed help just to remember what the doctors were saying. All the flowers, wheelchair rides, offers of help, journaling, phone calls, and prayers came together over time to help the process of change become acceptable – not just inevitable. I was not alone in this world. The goodness and kindness in folks shone through the darkness. It’s been a long haul and may be longer still. It’s true that painful change disrupts our lives but it can bring with it wisdom and love that conquer the fears. Some growing pains do turn into blessings in disguise.
More will be revealed.
Dorothy Thomas is a Senior Staff Therapist at the Council’s University City office. A Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with degrees in Biblical Studies and Christian Counseling, her Post-Graduate Certification is in Couples Therapy from the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior of Jefferson Medical College. She also helps coordinate the Council’s outreach into the Philadelphia community to foster healthy relationships within families and organizations.