Originally Published July 8, 2004 -- Your Wellness
Guide
Light Your Way
Through Life's Storms
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|
Arguably the most famous lighthouse in the world, the Cape Hatteras
Lighthouse on the shores of the Outer Banks near Buxton, North
Carolina was pounded by Mother Nature’s destructive Hurricane Isabel
in September 2003 -- yet still remained standing.
You
would think that this would not have been such a difficult thing for
a sturdy lighthouse, but considering this structure’s history, it is
nearly a miracle. |
Built in
1870, 1,500 feet from the shoreline, it is the tallest brick lighthouse in
the U.S., standing 200 feet tall and weighing approximately 2,800 tons.
Because the surrounding coastal area is often hit with pulverizing storms
and rushing floods, the tides have gradually eroded the beaches around the
lighthouse, threatening to topple the structure.
|
U.S. Coast Guard (PRNewsFoto)
This photo was taken just after the Cape
Hatteras Lighthouse weathered the
storm of Hurricane Isabel. |
In May
2001, funds were gathered to complete a daunting engineering task to
move the lighthouse to safer ground, 1,600 feet inland. More than
two years later after the move and Hurricane Isabel, the lasting
lighthouse stands tall as a symbol of the strength and resiliency of
the area’s people. Many view the sentinel as both a figurative and
literal emblem of how light can guide your way in the darkness.
All of
us, at one time or another, find ourselves in the dark, in a stormy
sea of life. What light will we turn to in order to find our way to
shore?
“My mother
had a brain tumor about 15 years ago, and it was a major interruption in
the life of (my) family that had known relatively smooth sailing up to
that point. But my mother’s deep faith through that experience helped the
faith of everyone in my family. It was a lesson to me of the contagious
power of faith,” says Father Edward Beck, a Roman Catholic priest. |
“My mother
was able to remain peaceful because of a spiritual haven she had
cultivated through years of prayer and commitment,” says Beck, author of
Unlikely Ways Home: Real-life Spiritual Detours and who says his
mother’s spirituality also gave him a desire to want to cultivate his own
spirituality ability to center himself.
“Faith and
prayer both have common effects because they allow us to experience that
we are not alone in the universe,” says Beck. Indeed, you can feel a
calming effect in the midst of a personal storm through having a
relationship with a higher power.
For some,
adversity takes over their lives, such as in the case of a significant
illness or health problem. Reverend Willia Brown is Director of Pastoral
Care at Mount Sinai and Schwab Rehabilitation hospitals in Chicago. She
says that it is apparent that for many of the hospitals’ patients and
families, religion and spirituality can help them endure extraordinarily
difficult times.
She relates
how in labor and delivery a mother was enduring hard labor pains, which
were eased with prayer -- she felt more relaxed and better tolerated the
birthing process. Or, in another example, Brown says she saw a mother and
a father grieve over the fatal accident of their 22-year-old son, whom
they had prayed would be kept safe from harm; “spiritual care
interventions helped them process their anger and accept the almost
unacceptable,” says Brown.
Dr. Daphne
Stevens says that it is important to know that we belong to something much
larger than ourselves. As a result, “we tend to feel less victimized,
less prone to bitterness,” says the author of Watercolor Bedroom:
Creating a Soulful Midlife
When things
look hopeless and bad, here are practical thoughts to tackle what at first
seems the impossible:
Live in the
present moment:
The present is all we have. Deal with today and let tomorrow take care of
itself, living with faith.
Notice
everyday joy:
Remember the saying ‘can’t see the forest through the trees’? Don’t miss
the blessing of life that is sometimes hard to see in the midst of
adversity.
Focus on
what is important:
Spirituality, friends, family, and other things that really matter need to
be our focus.
Engage
spiritual solutions:
Mimi Doe, founder of
www.spiritualparenting.com, believes
there is a spiritual solution for every problem. “Remember, the problems
you tussle with aren’t obstacles to your spiritual practice. They are
your spiritual practice.”
Terra
Wellington
is a
national authority on creating a wellness lifestyle.
www.terrawellington.com
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Wellington