Sticks and Stones....

I spent Saturday in the hospital emergency room passing a very large Kidney stone. I didn't scream...but I sure wanted to. A CAT scan showed damage to the tract and bladder. My urine has finally stopped turning red and now I must be patient in healing.

I just can't seem to catch a break these days, but internally I have felt myself laughing about the entire situation. My bottom line is full of stubborn immovability, I refuse to give up. There is no satisfaction in discouragement, it is such a temporary useless band aid.

No matter what your situation is, yes, there is always someone else worse off than yourself, but in the end, all that really matters is how you handle your own. I think questioning the test only prolongs getting the answers. Moving forward, even if it is just mental, is the only real path to better understanding the quest.

Today, I am reminded of the "sticks and stones" I sometimes throw at myself. Lay down the weapons you feel you have a right to use. Try to remember the depth in an all too familiar verse..."Love your neighbor as you would yourself."

Our tendencies are to put the focus on the neighbor, when we should realise that true love isn't possible until we love ourselves and the road we walk on, first.

It took an actual stone and the pain that came with it, for me to understand this. Listen and hear, then lay down the weapons of your own.