When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit-

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit. ~ John Greenleaf Whittier

 

Hello my dear friends, on this beautiful Sunday afternoon I like to remind everyone who is reading this missive to “not lose heart!”  I know very well what it feels like to be in the trenches fighting day in and day out without seemingly moving an inch forward. I know the fatigue and frustration that accompanies the endless parade of doctor visits and having to take gobs of medications just to be able to brush our hair, put on our clothes or get out of bed much less having to face life with all of its challenges when all we feel like doing is curling up in bed and never coming out. I say again to you my friend: “Don’t lose heart!” and have COURAGE (from the French word coeur which means ‘heart’).  Believe me it takes courage to do more than we feel or to change our habits when staying as we are where we are feels more comfortable.

Every day I wake up I have to summon inner strength to tend to my family’s needs when at times I am hardly able to tend to my own. The other week I had to take my daughter to orientation for college, feeling at times that my strength and my legs would not hold me after walking miles across the huge campus all I had to do was look upon the face of my beautiful daughter full of enthusiasm and apprehension for the journey ahead. My pain, and discomfort could not stand in the way of me being a supportive parent. As I walked across campus trying to infuse courage to my daughter I recalled the words of  H.G Wells who once wrote “what on earth would man do with himself if something did not stand on his way?’ I told my daughter that it is the way of life to do battle, to fight for what we want, and to face challenges with head held high. I reminded her as well as myself that adversity can be our friend although it may not feel like such at the time we are going through problems like dealing with health issues. But, it is these challenges and obstacles which teaches us our strengths and weaknesses. These are the moments that shape our life and determine our character. The greatest people in history were those who faced the most difficult roads with courage and rose to the task.

So if you feel like you are on a slippery downwards slope – don’t let fear let you lose perspective. Gather your support team around you and refuel energy and get courage once more to stand up one more day- after all there are new treatments, medications, and life around the corner- and as a famous poem says ‘Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit!’

Believe you me, after week of traveling – I needed much rest!

@copyright 2019

all rights reserved By Maria De Leon MD