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A New Perspective

Dealing with a serious illness day in and day out puts things in a different perspective.  

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..” 
― John Milton, Paradise Lost

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Thanksgiving

12/27/2012

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Today we examine what we are thankful for and count our blessings.  As I reflect on this, I am astonished by what comes to mind.  Of course, I am thankful for my family, friends, food, shelter and my relationship with God; but what I am most thankful for this year surprised me and will probably take your breath away too.  I am actually most thankful for ALS.  I will give you a moment to process that thought...

How can I be thankful for something that has turned my family's life upside down?  ALS has realigned us, redefined us and redirected us.  Prior to ALS, our priorities were probably fairly typical for families in this nation - career, money, ourselves.  After being on this journey for about two years, our priorities have shifted to relationships with God, each other and friends.  ALS has caused us to jump off that treadmill of life we were on and move at a much slower pace.  We frequently sit down and enjoy a sunset or an uninterrupted conversation.  We no longer feel guilty saying "no" to activities and meaningless pursuits that simply filled our time.

ALS has redefined us as a family.  We must be filled with faith, courage and hope as we battle this disease.  We can no longer feel responsible for all the circumstances we find ourselves in; we see a higher power in action.  We must face each day with courage that comes not from our own strength.  We stay focused on the hope that there is more to life than this.

My life has been redirected by ALS.  I was content to stay at home while Akhil worked perhaps not fully utilizing the gifts I have been given.  ALS has caused me to step out in faith to realize a dream. If it weren't for the pressure of ALS, I probably would never have had reason to pursue the dream.

This Thankgiving, I give thanks for the place I am.  I see that it is exactly where I am meant to be so I can become the person I am destined to be.  
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The realization of my dream - I partnered with a friend and we created a business.
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Unexpected Beauty

12/22/2012

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"People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. "
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross 


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Flowers in my front yard - 12/15/12
It has been rather blustery the last couple of months and it even snowed here for a few brief minutes on Saturday!  In spite of the uncomfortable conditions presented by the weather, this little plant continues to blossom.  There is even another little plant growing inside it with bright pink blossoms that you can barely see in  the photo at the left.  These blossoms overcome the obstacles to show their beauty and splendor.  When the weather is cold and dreary, seeing these flowers each day brings a smile to my face.  They are so unexpected amongst the snow! 

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Another flower in my garden - 12/15/12
Akhil is like these flowers.  He is in the midst of some challenging conditions and yet he continues to display joy.  In spite of the obstacles, he shows his beauty and splendor.  He refuses to let the challenges prevent him from sharing his colorful personality with the world.   Akhil's humor is an unexpected surprise  that never ceases to bring a smile to my face.  His attitude is inspirational to everyone who has the opportunity to talk to him. 

When you are confronted with challenging circumstances, rather than complaining, I hope you are inspired to be that unexpected blossom in the winter that brings a smile to others' faces. 

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Trees

12/13/2012

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"In uncertain times, be certain that God is with you."
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For Adam and Eve, it was a tree that tested their relationship with God.  For us, it is ALS.  While in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were told by God that they could eat from every tree in the garden except one.  Genesis 2:9 tells us that this forbidden tree was located in the middle of the garden right next to another special tree. 

The location of the forbidden tree has been a source of much contemplation for me.  God put the tree right in the middle of the garden next to the tree of life, a tree that must have been very desirable to eat from.  God didn’t place the tree in some obscure corner of the garden where Adam and Eve would have to seek it out; he placed the forbidden fruit right where they would see it every day.  God knew that tree would test Adam and Eve’s relationship with Him every day as they saw it while walking in the garden.  God’s plan required that they live with the tree but not let it get between them and God.  Eventually, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit which compromised their relationship with God and they were banished from the Garden of Eden losing the close fellowship with Him they once shared.

ALS is that “tree in our garden”.  Each day we must look at it, live with it, and battle it as we try not to allow it to compromise our relationship with God.  When faced with a storm in life, it is easy to get angry with God and want to turn away from Him.  God’s desire for us it that we be firm in our faith continually developing a relationship with Him.  The tree is there so we learn to rely on Him for strength.  We are incapable of circling the tree day after day and not letting it affect our relationship with God somehow.

I want to encourage you to acknowledge the “trees” in your life.  What is getting between you and God?  Allow God to strengthen you and draw you closer to him so you can walk circles around the tree.  May no “tree” in your life compromise your relationship with God.



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Character

12/8/2012

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“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” 
― Maya Angelou


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Does God like ice cream?
In Genesis 1:27, we are told that God created man in his image.  Let that thought sink in for a bit – we are made in the image of the all-powerful, all-knowing, eternal God!  I prefer to view that passage as saying, “Man is created as a reflection of God”, like an image in a mirror.  Physically, we reflect to the world the image of God but what about the character of God?  How is that reflected in us?  As Christians, it is up to us to make choices in our lives that reflect the character of God for the world to see.  Unfortunately, this process of character development takes a long time, usually a lifetime!  When the world sees us as the imperfect characters we are, it assumes that Christians are hypocrites because we profess our faith to a perfect God but we cannot begin to approach that in our own behavior.  If only the world would see that we are all people on a never-ending journey seeking to be more and more like Christ.  Some may have a slight advantage in that they don’t have as far to travel but most of us begin the journey so far removed from Christ that it is obvious to all we have a long way to go.

I feel like I have been through years of character development with some areas of success and many areas lacking.  Right now, in the midst of a storm, I am in a phase of character revelation.  As I deal with Akhil’s ALS, my true character is being revealed to me and the world.   I hope in some small way, I am able to glorify God by reflecting aspects of His character to the world.   As you go through the trials in your life, ask yourself which character traits of God are being given the opportunity to be reflected in you.  They are probably the ones that He took the time to fully develop in you before the storm hit.  



“A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities.” 
― Charles de Gaulle

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Circumstances

12/1/2012

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Never give up. And never, under any circumstances, face the facts. 
-Ruth Gordon, Actress and Writer

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Akhil and I with our water-walker, Ashley!

“If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat” is a book by John Ortberg referring to the Biblical story of Peter.  In Matthew 14:22-31, when Jesus summoned Peter to get out of his boat and walk on the water, Peter did – that is until he looked around and got scared.  Even though Peter was already walking on water, once he acknowledged his circumstances, he was filled with a paralyzing fear.  As a result, I would add to Ortberg’s title “… And Put Blinders On”. 

We all face what seem to be impossible circumstances at some time in our lives.  We must look to our faith and not the facts or feelings to get us through.  Peter walked on water while he was focused on faith and not the facts.  As soon as Peter began to examine his circumstances, feelings of uncertainty and fear kicked in and he began to sink. 

As you tread through whatever difficult circumstances you are dealing with, surround yourself with people who will encourage you to have faith rather that those who insist on pointing to your circumstances.  Avoid those who want you to examine the facts.  Faith and facts are incompatible in our struggles.

When we first received the diagnosis of ALS, my imagination immediately created a future scenario filled with heartache.  I saw myself alone, financially broke and emotionally defeated.  As I sat in the boat of diagnosis, I saw nothing but the storm around me and it paralyzed me.  Fortunately, I chose to quickly push those thoughts of despair out of my mind and resume a walk of faith.  How many people don’t make that choice and instead, sit paralyzed in the boat, afraid to move because of their circumstances?  At times, they may be able to focus on the positive and make some advancements but someone is quick to ask, “What are you doing?  Don’t you know there is a storm all around you?” and they quickly jump back in their boat of fear.

If you are the one facing a storm in your life, get out of the boat of fear.  Walk by faith!  If you are the observer, stop pointing out the storm!  Grab hands with the person in the boat and lift him out by your encouraging words and thoughts of hope.  The experience of walking on water, for however brief a moment, is amazing.  


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    Laura Jhaveri

    Wife and mother coping with the daily struggles caring for a family with a serious affliction.

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