July 2009

A Gift to “Me”

Thomas Kinkade, a devout Christian painter wrote “when I find my focus and keep my balance --- I find that all is right with my world.” I would second his statement, tagging it as truth, but so often I find myself losing my balance. It has happened fortuitously through separation and divorce, the loss of my father to cancer, the deployment of my son to war, the maintenance of difficult relationships, and the feelings of uncertainty about my religious beliefs.

All these circumstances have had me off balance. Nothing was going as planned; life appeared muddled and had no pleasure. My complete focus was on what I deemed amiss in my life. I would ask myself: How could God take my father now? Why does my son have to be deployed to Iraq? Lord, why can’t my marriage be everlasting? And, why is everyone in my life so darn complicated, including the Church?

Then, I discovered therapy, it changed my life. I could keep my balance. I learned to be a student of self. Instead of questioning God, I work through my feelings in therapy. I found that I was angry about my marriage long before the separation and I was able to address painful childhood memories that I had buried. Therapy facilitated my ability to tackle my discomfort with the Church, while promoting the hope I preserve in God. Therapy was a gift to “me.”

The U. S. Department of Mental Health and Human Services reports that “nearly half of all Americans (46 percent) suffer from a mental illness at some point in life.” For further discussion on your mental health, please check out our Medical Minute or leave your comments on our Social Network.

Give yourself a gift by seeing a therapist. You will be astonished at how advantageous therapy can be. It will surely aid you in finding your focus and keep you balanced emotionally.

God's Peace,

Chap