Spider

This was a picture of a spider and it's web that I took last fall.  I kind of forgot about it but when I came across the picture I remember the night I took the photo.  We were out on our deck and in the light I watched the spider working so hard to maintain the web.  It worked quickly and constantly as other things would get caught in the web and tear it up.  The spider is something that I enjoy watching as long as it is outside and not near me.  I don't like them in my house or when I walk into one of their webs; although I have a fear of them, they still intrigue me.

Spiders bring on fear in a lot of people.  Fear, whether it is real or all in a person's mind can be debilitating.  Many people suffer with fear and anxiety on a daily basis and for some it is paralyzing.  We have all felt fear, and most of us know what anxiety feels like.  For many people these are things that affect their everyday life.  Most families have at least one person who suffers with anxiety.  Some people are able to hide it and live somewhat normal lives and many take medications to help them through the day to day things that others don't even think about.

I have talked to few people who can't leave their homes because fear overwhelms them.  In their conscience mind they know that what they are afraid of is not realistic, but their sub-conscience tells them otherwise.  I have chatted with a person who wanted to die because she was afraid every day of her life.  The anxiety had pushed her to a point of wanting to end it all because she was tired of fighting it.  Our conversation lasted for hours as she poured her heart out about the things that terrified her.  Some of these things seem so trivial, but it was keeping her from going to work, from visiting her kids and even from wanting to wake up the next day.

In the bottom left hand corner of the picture, you will see a moth that is stuck in the spider's web.  That moth was struggling to get away from what seemed like it's fate.  The fear that moth was probably experiencing represents what a person suffering with anxiety disorder must feel like.  As I watched the spider make its way to what seemed like the web's victim the moth was able to free itself and escaped with its life.

If you know someone who is suffering from any form of mental illness please do what you can to help them break free from the paralyzing effects of their life.  I know that you can't do a lot, they have to fight for themselves to break free, but sometimes being there for them may be enough to give them the strength they need.  If you are the one suffering from depression or anxiety disorder, know that you aren't alone.  Know that there are people out there that want to help.  If you have tried therapy and it didn't help, don't give up.  Keep looking for the right therapist, you deserve to get the help you need to break free from the webs in your life.

I am so proud to volunteer my 4 hours a week for Crisis Text Line (CTL).  The people I am lucky enough to chat with have shown the strength to take the first step to get better.  Some are suicidal when we begin to chat and, for me, there isn't a better way to end a conversation with a person than having them tell me that they feel better, that they will seek the help they deserve and they will make it through another day.

If you are in a dark place and are feeling like you are in crisis.  You can text 741-741 to chat with a caring volunteer counselor.  We are there because we want to be, and whether you know it or not, we really do care.

Friends and Family

It has been a while since I have posted.  The other day I realized that I miss posting to my blog.  I decided a picture to start the routine back would need to be something that made me happy.  The picture above is of two important people in my life.  The baby is my newest grandson, Drew, and the person holding him is Laura.

Laura is a person I first met in school.  She was in the class behind me.  She was one of a set of twins.  I usually couldn't tell them apart, so I told them both the same thing.... "you are pretty short for your height".  Were they short? Yeah they were, but so was I.  We were the same height.  When Laura began working with me at McDonald's I got to know her better, but after she quit working there we kind of lost touch.  Our paths crossed again when I began dating Todd.  Todd's best friend, Terry, was engaged to Laura.  We began hanging out and became close.  Our kids were close and as we followed our husbands to softball games and basketball tournaments our connection grew.

Our kids grew up and Laura's daughter began playing high school basketball.  I enjoyed following the team.  The coach, Dennis Koester, referred to Laura and I as "gene killers".  You see we are both under 5'5" and my husband is 6'5" and Laura's is 6'10".  Coach said had we not married the guys, they might have married tall girls and had even taller kids.  It was a joke he enjoyed saying over the years.
As time has flown by I have depended on Laura for a lot of things.  We have called one another when things have gone wrong with our kids, our parents and sometimes our husbands.  She is like an aunt to my kids and is even the Godmother of one of my grandsons.

I have been blessed with some wonderful friends and Laura is one of them.  She is always smiling and is always there.  Many times she has known that I needed her there even before I did, she is a very genuine person who is like a sister to me.

The picture above was taken at my grandson's bowling party.  No, it wasn't Drew's party, he is still a little young for bowling, but it was great to see Laura and Terry at the party.  When I count my blessings Laura is one of the ones I always include in the count.  I have also been blessed with four grandsons and when Jill and Kevin marry I will also get a granddaughter in the deal.

Being Grandma is something I treasure, and I also value being a friend.  I have many friends that I hold dear, and I can only hope that they value my friendship even half as much as I value theirs.  I know that without my friends and my family my life would not be what it is.

If you have true friends, value them, and try to be a good friend to others.  A nice gesture or even a smile can go a long way in making another person's life better.

To my friends, thank you so much for making my world brighter, and so much more fun!