I am not defined by my past

by Lady Lee 16 Replies latest jw friends

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  Lady Lee

  MQ This whole idea of lemons to lemonade is an excellent one. When my father died in 1999 I wrote the following

  I am my father's daughter

  I am my father's daughter
  And I am my own creation.

  Through the pain he inflicted
  I found strength to endure. Through the anger and fear
  I found courage to confront. Through indifference and neglect
  I found inner strength and self-reliance. Through his constant criticism
  I found the desire to learn and rise above. Through threats of death and hate
  I found the ability to survive and thrive. I am my father's daughter
  And I am my own creation .

  Despite what we go through in life we do learn skills to survive. The next step is to use those skills to thrive.

  I`ve been through the worst that people or organizations can do to me and I`m still here.

  ((((Jim)))) always good to see you posting

  FriendlyOne

  One day at a time. It is hard on those who have a spouse still attached but you will get a lot of support here so stick around
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  Abandoned

  Nice poem.
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  compound complex

  Dear Lady Lee,

  The absolute dearest person in my life applied your words to me today - out of the mouth of babes! I have been rescued on so many occasions, mostly by my father in the past. Now the one who most closely resembles one of the finest Christian gentlemen whom I ever knew - my father - has "become" him for goodness and beneficence.
  My entire life of emotional torment was, for the most part, assuaged by my dad and is now by his "twin" personality. I am truly sorry that it wasn't this way for you [re: your dad]. We all have our benefactors and our tormentors. Storms and calms. Tempest-tossed seas and safe harbors. I have been the recipient of unconditional love from two family members, despite my years of mental illness. One is now gone. I have recovered and am reciprocating - with a passion. The love, understanding and forgiveness are understood, though having been verbalized.
  I derive so much from your always insightful analyses, Lady Lee. We have all suffered but not necessarily in identical fashion. Today there was confirmation that I am a worthwhile family member and am truly needed. No longer tormented by those who have spurned my love, I continue to love them and am no longer a victim.

  Coco
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  Tuesday

  It's part of my past I'm not going to forget it. Like you hear people talking about the year they got (insert gift here) for Christmas, or they played High School Football. Same for me, it's part of my past, it doesn't necessarily define me, but it definetly explains some of my strange interests.
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  Lady Lee

  Coco

  good steps forward. Sometimes they are hard to see because we are so used to the negative. Embrace them

  Tuesday

  You are so correct. We cannot forget the past. Doing so sets us up for repetition. But we can and do learn from it so we can stop it from happening again
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  Madame Quixote

  Thanks Tuesday:

  but it definetly explains some of my strange interests.

  Thank you LL for posting the poem and all of your thoughts. You are a healer.
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  Sunnygal41

  we have all fought our inner and outer demons.........and we continue to embrace life and all it's ups, downs and inside outs............if we look at the way nature and the earth deals with life's unexpected blows.........we see some that lose their life..........some (our tree people)........animals that deal with great drought and hunger........we can learn from earth.......nature..........we can gain great strength from being in tune with nature's cycles and energy.........

  with deep respect to my "native american" roots,

  Terri Blue Raven Crowe