“One Chance” Blog #84
How many chances have I ignored to bring healing into my life?
What do I see, feel and hear now, when I look around me?
Is my every day the same old sameness?
The dictionary defines “once in a lifetime chance” as a chance of opportunity afforded
to one that is, or seems unlikely to ever come about about again”.
I look back and I remember years ago…..
Living with a remarkable, unhappy older aunt who had become a sad, sick, self-abused
alcoholic. My aunt has lost everything she had dedicated her life to. She wound up living
at her fathers house with two other sisters in a big old colonial. Day after day she would
sit at the kitchen table picking at her face and circling the want ads in the newspaper with
a big black pen. She was trying to find a new chance at a job and she did this daily.
However, hours gone by, now late afternoon finds her sneaking down the hallway to the
half bath off the kitchen. There, safely hidden in the water tank behind the toilet she
gleams artificial courage. Taking sip after sip from the bottle of booze, this becomes her
daily ritual. With courage safe in hand, and many drinks later, she slips into her coat and
quickly walks down, around the corner, to the neighborhood bar for reinforcement. This
has became her life and her daily motto, “Whose kidding who”.
Now weeks and months and years have gingerly gone by. This self-styled, petite and p
owerful woman had been the President of the American Business Association in her city.
She owned a lovely two story home by a lake. My confident, classy, “tweeds and Channel”
Aunt was smartly dressed. She had met a man who was also confident, handsome and
classy. They had fallen in love. A gigantic wedding ensued and after they were married,
they seemed to have it all. Yet, my aunt and her husband were both heavy drinkers and
unbeknownst to my aunt, she had married a cheater. So in the two years they were
married, she was lied to, deceived and cheated on. My aunt had absolutely no clue until
her husband told her he had gotten a young girl pregnant. There was no remorse. At this
point, he decided to up and leave their lovely home, their Scottish Terrior dog and he
never looked back or saw his wife again.
What then happened to his devoted wife, my aunt? She still had a chance. There was a
good, healthy choice she could have made to change her life to good. Yet, I watched this
woman fall apart in front of my eyes. She in turn, day after day, systematically destroyed
every part of her life that was good. Her job, her reputation, her self worth went out the
window. How do I know this?
“Because birds of a feather flock together”
My aunt knew that my mother (her sister) had married and had three children. Her
sister was married to an abusive alcoholic (my father) and my aunt called my mother:
“We can all live in my house together, it will be good for all of us, come now!” This was the
beginning of seven years of nightmarish drinking, fighting and fear. After seven years my
aunt lost her home. My mother and father and us children were thrown out. My aunt was
put in a treatment center. (One of many.) The cold, Fall, day we all moved I was in the
middle of sixth grade. I can still see her being escorted to a cab in her nightgown with a
thick fur coat slung over her shoulders.
No idea where she was, the night before had been beyond passing out, now black outs
were the recurring theme. Later on, riddled with alcoholism, cancer and sadness, her life
was over. She had lost any chance of changing. For my aunt had placed all her faith, all
her belief, all her confidence in another human being! With her faith, and trust and belief
in her husband gone, she allowed this person and this situation to destroy her
forevermore. She had put her faith in another man and my Aunt had no faith in God Now
depression, sadness and drinking had become her closest friends.
No good comes from drinking, drugs and vapes. Only dark decisions left to chance.
Today you can take a chance and do it differently! However, I tell you this story because
whether you are 17 or 87 we all have something in common, we can choose today
differently. This new day gives me a new choice.
I understand now I can live from my higher self choosing inner guidance that is good.
If I feel anxious, I can go outside and walk 15 minutes one way and 15 minutes back.
I can pray and walk and say affirmations. I get one chance today to live healthyl
I leave you with this powerful message from a small book someone recently sent me:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I just had to stop and take a chance you would listen. Sometimes I quietly smile
and let that feeling silently sink in. How fortunate I am to be in this world with you.
Thank you for keeping my heart happy and my soul smiling. You see, not all angels
have wings. But they’re angels all the same. You can tell who they are by the way
they make everyone around them feel more hopeful and happy and more at peace…
And the way they make everything in life just a little more complete.
So this is for you, for the times you forget how amazing you really are”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How comforting it is to know someone feels this way about me -
IF you had one chance today to send this to someone, who would it be?
For this is where my heart should reside. A beautiful thought in life is we are all in this
together.
Believe with me, “I now have a chance to change in a healthy way.”
Know this: My lord is my rock. Nothing replaces HIM at the helm, for with
Jesus Christ in my heart, all things are possible.
“ISN’T IT TIME TO TAKE ONE CHANCE ON HIM?
NOW LISTEN TO SONG FOR TODAY - CLICK PLAY BUTTON IN VIDEO BELOW