Skip to main content

Turn Pain into Purpose


I watched an inspiring piece of news about a 71-year-old man who had lost his wife of 45 years and his daughter. As a retired social worker, he was encouraged by his granddaughter, that lost her mom, to turn his pain into purpose. What this man does is: he sets up two chairs and a table in various public places and encourage people to sit and talk. He is taking a step towards hope and kindness shown by a total stranger. He is traveling all across Canada and is doing what he calls "lean into love, lean into life". 

I was at coffee with a friend whose husband had passed away just before Christmas. She said that everyone had left from Christmas and it was the first day she was on her own. She had no expectations of herself; she was just going to "see" how she made out. She said, "this is the process, this is how it's done and something I have to go through". One thing she was planning was to return to her volunteer positions; she was ready to give back. She said she needed routine back in her life. 

I happened upon an old friend from my "other life" as I call it. We were both in a Tim Horton's outside of Brandon. She recognized me, it took me a minute to place her. Her husband died suddenly two years ago. She described herself as "single" again, not knowing what that meant after a long marriage. She said, "we were empty nesters, we had a plan to enjoy life together". She has always been a practical person and accepts what is handed to her. Every year she travels to see her parents that live in another country, because as she says, "I can". She said, "you never know what life is going to hand you". In the two years of being "single", she had moved closer to her one daughter and visits her other children once a month. It was a divine intervention that we met that day. I came away feeling so good to finally have the opportunity to hug her and tell her how sad I was that her life plans were interrupted. She has plans to embrace her new community and knowing her she will turn her pain into purpose. 

We never know why some people do so much for others. Very often giving back is because someone has helped them somewhere along the way. One friend made a promise to God if she survived her cancer that she would volunteer to help others. Volunteering fills a need to be needed. It is an avenue to be around people that need help. It also fills the need for routine; routine keeps you moving forward. 

Turning pain into purpose is powerful. When a person is in a sad or dark place, it takes considerable work to rise above it. Someone will walk into your world and change that for you. No one can understand how you feel. Every situation is individual and creates their own depth of sadness. It is also unique how you turn your pain into purpose. What you may think as just recovering from your sadness, may be an inspiration to others. You will go from being the person that needs others, to the person that gives to others. Watching you maneuver your life, may be just what someone else needs to turn their pain into purpose. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Easter Baking

Easter is a holiday that is steeped with tradition and reflection. It holds a different meaning for each of us. Every Easter I reflect on how it was when I was a kid, way back in the dark ages, and how everything has changed so much. For many families it is a time to come together to celebrate the traditions that are meaningful to them.  Easter is a sacred time for Christians as they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ . Easter is known as a  time for rebirth, hope and new beginnings.                                      I doubt anyone has a family memory that can trump the "Dixon Family Egg Hunt". My Dad was one of 10 children in his family. They were never all at home at the same time, but there were probably at least 6 or 7 kids on the egg hunt each year. Their dear mother would dye 14 dozen eggs with no food coloring. All I know is beets make red eggs. Dad would speak of h...
2 comments
Read more

Unbelievable

  I am feeling very lighthearted as I write this post. What you are about to read is a collection of what we could call, "first world problems". It is going to unfold just like my conversations with my bestie, jumping from one topic to another at warp speed with absolutely no connection to the previous topic.  There are just an unbelievable number of perplexing things in life.  For instance, how can a dryer ball simply disappear. Lost forever in your home, never be to be seen again. Or, how can you have a grocery list in front of you yet miss the very thing you went to the grocery store to get. The only answer to those questions is, "because".  I would be amiss if I didn't use this time to speak of the unbelievable January weather. I often describe the weather as bipolar and this January the weather went right off its medication. When the weather is off its meds, it goes up and down the thermometer like a maniac.  At least when it is extremely cold you don't...
2 comments
Read more

Traffic

I recently drove south of Brandon at 10:00 AM. I was in no hurry and that was a good thing because I got behind a vehicle going 60 kms in an 80 kms speed zone. As we doodled along a big truck pulls right up behind me. I was hopeful he knew I was not the cause for the speed reduction. Shortly, the slow-moving vehicle turns, and I am now the lead car. I quickly arrived at the speed limit and perhaps even above. For others it must have looked like I was towing the truck behind me, he was so close. I was closing in on another set of vehicles going slow and I knew the truck behind me was not going to be happy. In a blink of an eye, out he goes to pass me, there is oncoming traffic so close I was slowing down to let him in. He's not done; he guns it and passes the car ahead of me as well. He then swoops in between that car and a semi. Now the semi appears to be pulling him he is right behind him. Thankfully, we finally hit the passing lane, and the truck is gone like a rocket. I hope the...
2 comments
Read more