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I was reading a
beautiful story in the Sudbury Star recently about the first baby born in
the City of
Greater Sudbury
in
2007. Connor Ethan Dufour was
born at
4:02 a.m.
on
the morning of January 1. The 7 lb. 7 oz. bundle of joy is the first child
of two very proud Val Caron residents, Angela Tanguay and Barry Dufour.
Barry describes the year 2006 as one of the best years of his life,
and the couple is now looking forward to even greater things in 2007 as
they begin their new role as parents. "We were engaged in February.
Then Angie got pregnant in March. I was hired at INCO in October. And to
top it all off, we have the New Year’s Baby!”
Angela and Barry are
sitting on top of the world right now, and nothing is going to prevent
them from enjoying the precious moments to come with their new son.
I’m sure many of my
readers feel the same about their life right now. Things are likely going
very well and you are riding an “emotional high”.
However, I am also certain that many of you are currently
experiencing some disappointments and challenges in your life. For many of
you, 2006 is a year, either in total or in part, you might like to forget,
and 2007 may not be starting off much better.
Whenever I am faced with disappointment in my own life I try to
remember two very important principles that I have learned over my many
years of personal experience.
The first is that “If
you carry on, one day something good will happen. And you’ll realize
that it wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous
disappointment.”
The second is that,
“No matter how difficult the situation in which you find yourself, and
no matter how hopeless it seems in the beginning, you are never given
anything in life that you are not capable of handling.”
As we go through our
journey of life everyone, and I mean everyone experiences all sorts of
major setbacks. These include loss of loved ones; financial problems;
relationship difficulties; family problems; work problems; health
problems; indeed it seems as if we spend most of our life overcoming
difficulties and challenges.
We all have those days
and periods of our life when we sit back and wonder how we will ever
survive. Believe me when I say that WE ALL HAVE THOSE FEELINGS from time
to time. YOU ARE NOT ALONE if you are experiencing one of the “emotional
lows” in your life. And it won’t be the last time either. Life has its
ups and downs. Angela and Barry are certainly enjoying one of the “high
points” of their life right now. But I’m sure they have had low points
before and undoubtedly they will have low points again. However, they will
always remember this time of their life as one of the best, and they will
use these precious memories to help them get over the any challenges they
face in the future.
Whenever I am at one of
the low points in my life, I always think about the two principles
mentioned above. By having faith that something good will come, and that I
am never given anything that I can’t handle, I have found that the storm
does indeed subside and the sun does shine once again.
Moreover, after I have gone through one of those difficult periods,
I find that I’ve rediscovered those things in life that I truly value. I
learn to value the relationships I have with the people around me far more
than I value the material possessions that I have collected. By relying on
the support of my loved ones to get through tough times, the good that
comes out of the challenges I am facing is more often than not a
strengthening of those bonds of love. I learn to value life itself, and
the people who are most important to me – the very people I may have
taken for granted.
It seems as if the challenges we are given from time to time are
wake up calls to help us see ourselves for who we really are and to force
us to refocus our priorities. So the next time you are faced with a major
difficulty in your life, remember the two principles and look around for
the people who truly love you. They will be there for you. You will
discover that something good will happen and that you do have the strength
to carry on, no matter how bad things may appear. |
