Making a difference

Sometimes you feel like you are just banging your head against the wall, accomplishing nothing, but causing more pain and frustration for yourself. Sometimes it's church. Sometimes it's work. Sometimes it's relationships. Sometimes it's the world.

But then there are those little moments that give us hope. A thank you when you least expect it. Words that give you insights, spoken by someone that doesn't even know what you are experiencing. A small success after a long battle.

Today, I found two reminders that our voices can make a difference.  First, this news from a group of women who would not stop asking for what they needed.

Then I read this beautiful post by a woman who was reminded of why she does what she does.

Who you are and what you do makes a difference!

 

Songs of Hope

I'm in the process of planning the music for church for the next few months.  As I flipped through the hymnbook, I found 3 songs that I absolutely love that we don't sing very often.  One of the reasons we don't sing them often (even when I'm choosing the hymns) is that people comment that they are depressing or that they are funeral songs.  While appropriate as funeral hymns, that's not what they are.    They are hymns of hope and light, hymns of encouragement, hymns of peace.

"Lead, Kindly Light" is one of my favorite texts and melodies. This arrangement by Mack Wilberg lets us hear the Light (yes, with a capital letter) that is in this song.  You can read the full text here.



Eliza R. Snow's beautiful poem "Though Deepening Trials" does speak of trials, ills, and tribulations, but it also proclaims, "press on, press on"and "lift up your hearts" and "ye shall have peace".  Seven verses are printed in the LDS hymnbook.



"Each Life that Touches Ours for Good" is a lovely hymn that is very appropriate when dealing with the loss of someone you love.  I think that message is bigger than one of comfort.  I think it is a reminder of how God works through his people.  The song is also a challenge to be one of those people that touches other lives.  It doesn't have to be big.  I can be as simple as a smile.

Dealing with Depression

A conversation today got me thinking about what I am really thankful for this Thanksgiving. I am thankful that I no longer live each day in the depths of depression.

Do you know that there are a lot of "d" works related to depression? Debilitating, despondency, despair, darkness, dejected. I was really tempted to do the longest, most obnoxious alliteration ever, but as I mentioned on FB awhile back, overdone alliteration cheapens the message. And I want my message today to be one of hope. And hope is one of the most valuable things we can have. The hope that perhaps there would be something better in my future helped me survive a lot of really dark times.

Until you have lived with it, you can never really understand depression.

It's one thing to be feeling lazy and not want to take a shower. It's something else entirely when you don't feel like you have the energy to shower or when you've gotten to the point where you really don't care if you shower.

It's one thing to feel blah and sorry for yourself and not want to do anything. It's something else entirely when you feel totally numb and can't make yourself do anything.

It's one thing to think that you could do better. It's another when you think that you will never be able to do enough or be good enough.

But the good news it that I know it doesn't have to last forever. Don't misunderstand me. It's not as if I never get depressed anymore. I just know how to deal with it now and how to not let it consume my life. I will be on medication for the rest of my life to deal with this. I also work to adjust my diet, exercise, meditation, and outside commitments to help me get through the minor bouts of depression that still pop up occasionally.

The paths that lead us out of depression are as unique as each individual that suffers from depression. I found my path, but there are a lot of really wonderful people in the world still looking for theirs. But it's there. I know it is. Have hope and know that you are not alone.

My life today is so different from where it was several years ago. Every once in a while, I'll have a bad day and then I'll remember when everyday used to be like that. I am happy. I am really happy. And all things considered, that's pretty amazing.