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SBC2RCC
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | York, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 132 |
| First Name: | Monte | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | was Southern Baptist Minister, now Roman Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Mar 1st, 2007 08:38 pm |
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Dear CHN friends,
There is a commercial, "Depression Hurts." Physically, mentally, financially, all that.
I have been battling this for years, the winter does not help. Please pray for all who suffer from this disease of the body and the heart.
____________________
In Christ,
Monte W
(Formerly on CHN Forum as "Pilgrim Paul"
Minima Maxima Sunt
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thestickman
Member
| Joined: | Sun Dec 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Taylors, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 17 |
| First Name: | Brett | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Church of Christ, now Roman Catholic by the Grace of ... |
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Posted: Fri Mar 2nd, 2007 09:19 pm |
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Amen!
As someone who suffers from chronic depression, I appreciate all the prayers possible for myself and for those in similar situations.
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Talithacumi
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| Joined: | Sat Sep 30th, 2006 |
| Location: | Eastern Ohio, USA |
| Posts: | 282 |
| First Name: | Cheri | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Catholic - Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sat Mar 3rd, 2007 03:35 am |
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Monte and Stickman,
I hear ya! I'll keep you both in my prayers and I'd like to be included in yours as I, too, suffer from depression. I've never been clinically diagnosed (shoot, can't afford a shrink!), but the signs are all there. I've read and observed and experienced enough to know. And I once read a book by a priest who suffered from depression and I could s-o-o-o-o relate to much of what he was talking about.
One thing he mentioned in that little booklet that I was so grateful that he did was how it was so hard sometimes when friends just act like all you have to do is change your attitude and "cheer up." He compared it to being in a cistern, and his friends were peering down in and saying something like, "Why don't you just come on up?" while not realizing that he couldn't. He just couldn't - not that he didn't want to. He just couldn't climb out of the hole. People often look down on depressed people with derision as if they're just being too pessimistic and they deserve to feel that way because they've brought it on themselves. They just don't know. Some people have no idea how deep the loneliness and emptiness can go and that by rejecting the depressed person or avoiding them they just make things worse. It just gives the depressed person more misery to feed on.
If anyone were to ask me, I think one of the most important things a human being can give to another is encouragement. When a person is made to feel like, "You're just so negative all the time," it just makes the problem circular. The way it works is, he, the depressed person, already feels bad. Then she, the "happy" person, doesn't understand why he can't just shake it off and be happy. She turns up her nose at him because he apparently isn't following her "advice" and she decides he just doesn't want to help himself or is unwilling to. This makes him feel even more powerless and rejected than he already does. He turns in on himself and starts beating himself up over it. She sees he's getting even worse, which in turn makes him even more repulsive to her; he senses she dislikes him (because one symptom of depression is the tendency of a person to turn in on himself) and perceives that there's something wrong with him; that's the vibe he gets from others who are "normal" and "happy". So he hates himself even more, and on and on it goes.
But when a person encourages another and helps to point out the good in them, it becomes easier then for a person to start thinking outside of himself. He can begin to perceive some good in his life. This, too, becomes circular. The more good he can see in his life, the more he can spread goodness around him.
So yes! All of those who are depressed are in great need of prayer! Do let us pray and offer up some Lenten sacrifices for a decrease in this miserable state where Satan is laughing his head off and thinking he's managed to destroy joy. May God help us all.
JMJ
- Cheri
____________________
“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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Christine Ann
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | An Hours' Drive From Cincinnati, Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 156 |
| First Name: | Christine Ann | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | former Lutheran, Baptist, now Catholic. |
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Posted: Sat Mar 3rd, 2007 10:56 pm |
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Dear Cheri,
What an accurate description of the downhill slide that depression can be. Someone who's never suffered depression cannot understand. Even the one depressed can't necessarily see reason for so deep a misery.
I know because I too suffered depression for a very long time...feeling hopeless and despairing of my life. My husband stood by me until I attempted suicide, and then he gave up on me and our marriage ended in divorce after 17 years. When I was so sick (1978 to 1992) some of it was due to my sin and some being sinned against and being unable to forgive. I experienced relief once I understood that I must choose to forgive. For me it was a choice and with much prayer (for me and by me) and God's mercy I found a great lessening of my depression.
He simply took away the feelings of unforgiveness and I improved. I don't want to make it sound as if it happened quickly...it didn't. It took another 7 years to get to this point. Then in 1990 I met the man who was to become my husband. We married that same year. The Lord did bring us together I have no doubt. Then I found a Christian psychiatrist (thanks be to God) who pulled me out of my past where I had dwelt for so long, holding on to the pain. She would not allow me to ruminate on past failures and hurts. We focused on what was right with my life. This was not an easy transition for me...and I found myself angry with her often. But it absolutely was the right thing to do for me. That, and the right medication made the darkness into light.
I can't tell you the difference in me today. All of the factors that God brought together on my behalf is clear demonstration of His grace and love. I must give Him the glory for so radical a change in my life. It was grace pure and simple. I was able to repair my damaged relationship with my parents, by choosing to love them and finding ways to honor them. I now have a civil relationship with my former husband after making the effort to talk with him and apologise for my part in our failed marriage. We are both saddened by that failure and have forgiven each other much.
My present husband is a Christian (something my former husband was not). He is very understanding with me. He even made my journey home possible by his conciliatory attitude. I can't say he is pleased about this transition, but loved me enough to allow me to follow my heart. I now pray for his conversion, knowing that God's grace can do miracles.
As I read over this post, I fear I've made it all sound easy...pulling out of my depression was the hardest experience of my life. But now I know, that God truly does heal the deepest wounds, if we'll just cooperate with Him.
Satan occasionally sends a firey dart my way, but I have learned to refuse whatever depressing thought he sends. My life is not perfect! But at least now I have a life and I'm more grateful than words can say. I pray that my story can give hope to others who are afflicted with depression. It's not something I normally would share, but since the subject came up and it was one I knew something about, I've dared to open my closet a bit. Thanks to those who've taken the time to read this.
In His Love,
Christine Ann
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thestickman
Member
| Joined: | Sun Dec 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Taylors, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 17 |
| First Name: | Brett | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Church of Christ, now Roman Catholic by the Grace of ... |
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Posted: Sat Mar 3rd, 2007 11:46 pm |
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Cheri and Christine Ann,
May the Peace of Our Lord, Jesus Christ be with us all. May we, who suffer from depression always remember there is True Peace in Loving and Receiving Our Lord, Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucarist.
In Christ,
Brett
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Christine Ann
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | An Hours' Drive From Cincinnati, Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 156 |
| First Name: | Christine Ann | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | former Lutheran, Baptist, now Catholic. |
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Posted: Sun Mar 4th, 2007 04:42 pm |
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Hello Brett,
I am waiting for the Eucharist with a longing heart. Penance is still deeply important to my cleansing, but I must wait for that, too. It is good to know that I will find the grace I still need daily through Holy Communion. I wasn't leaving it out...it's just that I've not yet had this experience.
In His Love
Christine Ann
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Truthseeker
Member
| Joined: | Wed Oct 4th, 2006 |
| Location: | Costa Mesa, California USA |
| Posts: | 439 |
| First Name: | Laura | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | lapsed and returned CATHOLIC!!!!!! |
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Posted: Sun Mar 4th, 2007 04:48 pm |
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Hi all-
The Lord has just released me from my year and a half bout with the most horrible depression of my life. I have learned how, even when I was "allowing" myself to dwell in my misery, it's really because the misery had hold of me. I will certainly not judge those who seem unable to "let go" anymore. I will hold you all in my "prayer basket" (I should actually make one of those!).
Remember that God holds you. When I was hurting so much over my miscarriage, I would picture myself as a tiny little girl curled up in God's great hand, and that's where I would cry, and all my tears would soak into HIm. Have any of you seen that statuette? The girl is actually standing and leaning into His palm, but it is so comforting. I'm sure they have boy versions, too.
God's peace,
Laura
____________________
Lord, please make my will your Will!
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thestickman
Member
| Joined: | Sun Dec 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Taylors, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 17 |
| First Name: | Brett | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Church of Christ, now Roman Catholic by the Grace of ... |
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Posted: Sun Mar 4th, 2007 05:02 pm |
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Christine,
I pray the day soon comes when you can receive the Sacraments and the Grace and Healing God gives us through them.
In Christ,
Brett
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susiedear
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| Joined: | Thu Oct 12th, 2006 |
| Location: | Twin Cities, Minnesota USA |
| Posts: | 186 |
| First Name: | Elizabeth | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Pentecostal / Evangelical / Catholic! |
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Posted: Mon Mar 5th, 2007 08:34 am |
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I need to thank all of you who described what living with depression is like. I do not suffer from clinical depression, but I suspect my mother does. She seems to hang on to things that make her miserable and there is always something drastically wrong in her world. She and my dad have been separated more times than I can count because it's hard for him to live with her negativity, yet they always find their way back to each other. I think they are pulled together with the glue of caring for my youngest brother, a grown man who is mentally retarded and functions at about a five-year-old level.
We have gently asked my mom if she has friends, and the answer is always no. Her friends come and go as though through a revolving door. Some of my mom's family won't speak to her anymore, and she has a strained relationship with those who do. My other brother and his wife are civil to her, but not warm. And now my mom's latest worry is for my soul, due to my conversion to Catholicism. She feels betrayed and is not speaking to me.
I am worried for her and don't know how to help. So I pray and pray and pray some more.
Cheri and Christine Ann, your stories helped me understand depression better, so I thank you for being willing to open your souls. You have given me a great gift.
With love and prayers for all of us, Elizabeth
____________________
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. St. Augustine
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Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 1188 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Mon Mar 5th, 2007 04:58 pm |
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With apologies to the late-great songwriter Waylon Jennings, I've always been Catholic, but it's kept me from going insane. Even when I was attending Protestant services I was still Catholic. (That's a cheering thought considering how little it takes for some people to find themselves booted out of their (former) Protestant parishes/congregations.)
Seriously, I've been diagnosed as bipolar for eight years, and for the three and a half years, I've been collecting SSID pension payments due to a combination of other conditions plus bipolar depression, that's rendered me unemployable. Some folks might snicker that I'm too crazy to keep a job down, but while it hurts to admit some of that might be true, I'd have to be even crazier not to have applied for SSID. I have four children, all in their early adult and late adolescent years and my wife and I have a new home we'd like to keep for years to come.
Trouble is, I'm only 55 and I've got a lot of life still left in me. I could've easily caved in and wondered if there was any hope for a guy with some woodworking and literary skills but couldn't hold down a simple job due to a double-shot of ADHD ("in spades" as one shrink put it), and bipolar depression. Let's face it, while not wanting to appear in the least bit self-pitying, when you lose a lot of jobs because of a combination of little and big screwups or inability to adjust to changes quick enough, it gets more than a mite depressing at times. (Oh, there's a lot of other stuff, but that'd take a book, which I don't have either an agent or publishing firm available yet to justify such an adventerous leap.)
Besides, there are a lot of other people with the same condition(s) and I'll bet their stories have got to be more interesting than a catalogue of failures, disappointments and enough "when will you ever get together(s)" to either bore or drive the angels to drink or weep. I'd rather drive 'em to laugh.
There's one serious side to the predicament folks like myself find ourselves in: the land of the never-going-away-stigma-of-being-mentally-ill. Notwithstanding all of the efforts of stalwarts such as Mike Wallace, Art Buchwald, Roslyn Carter, Robin Williams and so forth, it'll be a frozen day in hell when Satan's found brousing LLBean's winter catalogue before that stigma is finished. AIDS, terrorism, you name it, they'll be history before THE Stigma of the mentally ill is past history.
In some ways that's not entirely a bad thing. Even though I'm bipolar and pray for relief, I'm not exactly crazy enough to think somebody like myself should have his finger on the button. Heck, I can't even drive anymore because the meds I take have taken their toll on my driving, and with insurance being as high as it is in MA, my wife and I would have to be crazy to keep me on the road.
Prayer, however, is the one thing all of us can do. Prayers for sound counsel, prayers for following such counsel, and prayers for more advanced medicines to help us mitigate the effects of depression and other conditions which plague the mentally ill.
I've been "there" before. For those among you who are not bipolar, this means at the end or nearly at the end of our life's rope(s). Spent a week in a local hospital's psychiatric ward seven years ago. One of the scariest experiences I've ever had. Not that the people I had to share this temporary residence with were all that dangerous. But it's the uncertainty left behind at home the spouse(s) and kids that people with debilitating mental illnesses have to deal with, on top of what already landed them in the wards to begin with. That's not all; one of the worst experiences I had there was witnessing some of the people having to deal with the rejection and scorn heaped upon them by their family members, spouses, no less - and the rejections had nothing to do with harmful behavior, etc., These poor individuals were rejected because their spouses couldn't and wouldn't deal with repeated bouts of incapacitating depressions.
It sure wouldn't hurt for a lot of marriages to have included in their wedding vows, the words "physical and mental health." Perhaps it's too scary for young couples to even think about. Well, they had darn well better, and BEFORE the bells ring.
Please pray, and also pray that I don't ever lose my sense of humor, either.
____________________
"This Old House's" motto is "Measure twice, cut once." My new motto is THINK at least twice or thrice, then you only have to write once, and maybe apologize nonce.
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thestickman
Member
| Joined: | Sun Dec 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Taylors, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 17 |
| First Name: | Brett | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Church of Christ, now Roman Catholic by the Grace of ... |
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Posted: Mon Mar 5th, 2007 05:18 pm |
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Steven,
You won't lose your sense of humor. Of that, I have no doubt. Just stay on the meds and pray, asked to be prayed for and receive Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist every chance you can.
I was diagnoised in 1991 (or so...been a while) with chronic depression. This means I have to take meds just to stay at a level mood. Recently, our 20 yr old daughter decided she would leave home in about as bad a fashion as possible only to add to it all by cutting off all contact once she left. After a week had gone by I looked at my wife and said, "I have to see the doctor, I am not well."
Thanks be to God, my doctor is a good man who's willing to listen. He wrote out an increase in my usual meds and prescribed some stuff to help me sleep and to keep me steady in case my mood sunk too low at any given point.
It's been a rough ride, I must admit. The Holy Spirit is working as on a couple of occasions, when I was feeling VERY down, my priest called me just to check on me. Last week he showed up in the afternoon and brought me Communion--he's 77 years old and its a 20 mile drive from there to here, so I can only thank the Holy Spirit for letting Father know I needed to receive our Lord to get through that particular day and for giving Father the energy to make the trip.
I am getting better. I have a ways to go. Please pray for me and all who suffer from depression. Please pray for our family as we go through this difficult time.
God Bless you all,
Brett
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Talithacumi
Member
| Joined: | Sat Sep 30th, 2006 |
| Location: | Eastern Ohio, USA |
| Posts: | 282 |
| First Name: | Cheri | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Catholic - Latin Rite |
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Posted: Mon Mar 5th, 2007 05:58 pm |
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Christine Ann wrote: ... I pray that my story can give hope to others who are afflicted with depression. It's not something I normally would share, but since the subject came up and it was one I knew something about, I've dared to open my closet a bit. Thanks to those who've taken the time to read this.
In His Love,
Christine Ann
Christine Ann,
Thanks for sharing your story. You are right. It is by the grace of God and our cooperation with it that we can overcome depression. However (and I'm sure you will agree), I think everyone has a different time-frame. Everyone has their own things they have to work through. And I think, too, that with some people, Depression is a life-long battle that may never be completely overcome in this lifetime.
For some, it may be that it's a cross they have to bear. Maybe God allows these kinds of illnesses and maladies to happen to some people so that they can empathize and be a support for someone else who may be going through something similar and may not otherwise have that support they need. For some, perhaps God wishes to use their depression to show His strength over their weakness. For some, maybe God uses it as a teaching tool, or maybe as an instrument for offering up sacrifice for others or for the reparation of sins. Who knows, really?
But I think what needs to happen is that people need to be aware, like the commercial says, that Depression hurts. It is a disease of sorts, not something to throw in people's faces as if they are at fault or brought it all on themselves. Sometimes maybe they do bring a lot of it on themselves, but sometimes they don't. Again, like I said, I think encouragement could go a long way towards helping.
I appreciate your sharing your story. It brings hope to people who have suffered from depression. I'm glad that you were blessed to have been pulled out of it! - and I will pray for your husband's conversion.
JMJ
- Cheri
____________________
“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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Talithacumi
Member
| Joined: | Sat Sep 30th, 2006 |
| Location: | Eastern Ohio, USA |
| Posts: | 282 |
| First Name: | Cheri | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Catholic - Latin Rite |
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Posted: Mon Mar 5th, 2007 06:07 pm |
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I just want all of you who wrote in to know that I appreciate this thread (thanks, Monte). I think it really helps when you know you're not alone, especially with something like Depression, which is probably the loneliest "disease" there is! I will continue to keep you all in my prayers and I hope you will pray for me also. God bless, everyone!
JMJ
- Cheri
____________________
“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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Darlene
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 868 |
| First Name: | Darlene | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Christian, trusting His love and forgiveness |
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Posted: Mon Mar 5th, 2007 07:06 pm |
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Hello Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
After reading your comments, I knew it would only be right for me to contribute to this discussion. I was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety disorder 27 years ago. Yet, I had known early on as a child, that something was not right with me.
During my moments of severe depression, when suicidal thoughts would plague me, a memory from my childhood would often surface. I would be taken back to the past, and remember an 8 year old girl, sitting on the cold, tile floor of her bedroom wishing that death would come. There I was, transported back to my youth, crying alone in my bedroom, hitting my head with my shoe harder and harder, saying over and over again, "I wish I was dead." My father must have heard me because he came into the bedroom to comfort me. He said to me, "You don't mean that. You don't want to die." I replied, "Yes, I do. I wish I was dead."
Looking back on that moment in time, I don't really know why I was so depressed. But often, I would be alone with my torturous thoughts, which were like blankets suffocating me. These thoughts greeted me in the morning, plagued me throughout the day, and peeked in on me at various times in the evening.
When the Lord Jesus saved me, He carried me for a few years. Eventually He placed me on the ground to see if I could walk on my own. I have stumbled, tripped, fallen, over and over again, but have always gotten back up again. Sometimes, I would look at my family history and think the proclamation for me was doom and despair. My great-grandmother was put in an "institution" for the mentally ill. My grandmother had severe bouts of depression, and I recall the time it was so devastating that she had to be admitted to the hospital. My mother was on some sort of medication and had bouts of depression and tantrums, where she would revert back into childish behavior. What hope, I thought, could there be for me?
But in July of 2006, the Lord spoke to me, and comforted me. He said He was healing me of my depression, anxiety and panic attacks. No longer did I have to fear. The Lord also used a Christian sister to speak words of encouragement to me, because she too had been healed by the Lord of her depression. She encouraged me to read and memorize Psalm 91.
It is now 7 1/2 months later. I have been off of all medications, and have had no panic attacks, anxiety attacks, or bouts of depression. Gone are the night terrors, when I would wake op feeling as if the walls were crashing in on me and I was going to die. Gone are the panic attacks wjere it felt as though my head was being crushed in a vice. Gone are the anxiety attacks where I felt my heart would give out. Gone are the voices that suggested to me various methods of committing suicide. I have asked Jesus to forgive me for ever grieving Him in this way. He is the life-giver and I have never had the right to take my life.
Yes, I have been to the depths of hell and back again, with regard to depression. The Lord has been merciful in healing me and I take no credit for it, except that when He spoke to me, I believed He could and would deliver me.
I understand your plight, each one of you who suffer from this dreadful malady. My prayers are with you.
Love in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Darlene
____________________
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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SBC2RCC
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | York, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 132 |
| First Name: | Monte | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | was Southern Baptist Minister, now Roman Catholic |
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Posted: Mon Mar 5th, 2007 08:41 pm |
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WOW, let me say that again, wow! Thanks to all of you for joining in on this thread. Darlene, Brett, CHristine Ann, Cheri, Steven, Elixabeth.
Oh No, the librarian says I have to sign off in two minutes.
Keep praying, I'll update soon.
____________________
In Christ,
Monte W
(Formerly on CHN Forum as "Pilgrim Paul"
Minima Maxima Sunt
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Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 1188 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Tue Mar 6th, 2007 11:30 am |
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 Dear Brett,
Thank you for your encouraging reply, and I have a good idea of what you're going through concerning your daughter. Before Christmas, I almost blew away my 20 year old daughter when I let my temper get the (worst) of me while discussing finances and how she was going to be able to take care of a new pup (part St. Bernard, Rott, Shep, and Husky--but luckily not a big one and gratefully, a mutt with a superbly sweet loving temperament!)
While my wife agreed that I had valid points, she was spitting mad for my lack of cool and blowing Meagan off to the point she took the pup and headed off for her boyfriend. I was so desolate when Ruth told me we'd be lucky to see Meagan again. (Ouch, man that hurt and scared the heck out of me to the point I almost found myself heading back "there" and before Christmas no less.) I'd been grumpy for weeks and all the tumult with a new puppy, our old Dal, birds, and five cats -- and, kids, too, some of whom weren't speaking to each other, except in levels that paralleled C5-A decibels.
Well, in my deepest moments of fairly recent memory, a miracle happened. While on the phone with a dear friend, who's a Devout Christian who's also been "there" and is a doctor, no less, -- and guess who called to say she was sorry for her part and coming back: Meagan!
I haven't the foggiest idea of the kind prayers outside of a few Hail Mary's and Our Father's, what I prayed for Meagan's return and saving my hide with Ruth, but whatever I told the Lord and Mary, they worked.
Keep praying and remember, sometimes we tend to get all wrapped up in our anxieties and panic attacks, not to mention losing our cool, etc. -- still, we're not always the bad guy. Nor, is anything so hopeless that God can't fix it for us. He just wants us to not take Him for granted and give Him a call to say we need His love and help. He wants to help us. And, best yet, He does. Not always on our busy schedules, you know, the ones that are "too busy" to include prayer and meditation on the Sacred as well as the profane which leades us to uttering profanities about our condition and woes.
I have a eye appt to head off to, but let me leave with a few remarks that might cheer your day and you can pass along to cheer others. (Man, do we depressives get a great natural and Godly high from that!)
From Jimmy Buffett: "It's alright to be crazy, just don't let it drive you nuts."
And, from myself, something I was able to paraphrase to myself while my son was driving me to the church on his way to classes at UMass: It came from Pope Benedict's essay about John Paul the Great (back in 1988)("The Legacy of John Paul II" with then- J. Ratzinger listed as the chief contributor.)
-- "The way for the Church is man," said Benedict's saintly predecessor. To which a lighbulb went off in my head telling me that for us, the way for man is the Church.
-- And prayers, prayers, prayers and the never-ending hope that God will restore our relations, not to mention allow us to retrieve our marbles and more importantly, keep 'em, especially so we can keep ourselves and the ones we love UP, UP, UP!
God be with you and your family. Praying for you brother.
Steven
PS: Yep, I won't lose my humor. All I have to do is listen to the buccaneer Catholic bard of the Tropics, Jimmy Buffett. "If we weren't all laughing, we'd all go insane." (Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes.)
____________________
"This Old House's" motto is "Measure twice, cut once." My new motto is THINK at least twice or thrice, then you only have to write once, and maybe apologize nonce.
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thestickman
Member
| Joined: | Sun Dec 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Taylors, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 17 |
| First Name: | Brett | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Church of Christ, now Roman Catholic by the Grace of ... |
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Posted: Tue Mar 6th, 2007 01:21 pm |
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Darlene,
Thank you for sharing. I pray the Lord will soon Heal us all as He has Healed you. I know I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo very tired of feeling bad, myself. This morning was an exceptionally bad morning:uncontrolled crying with some panic mixed in for good measure. Thanks be to God for ativan!
I pray we are all Healed according to His WIll.
In Christ,
Brett
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SBC2RCC
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | York, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 132 |
| First Name: | Monte | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | was Southern Baptist Minister, now Roman Catholic |
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Posted: Tue Mar 6th, 2007 07:52 pm |
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"Thank God for Ativan."
This is where I was intending to go in sharing yesterday. Not only do I get depressed, but also I have great anxiety problems and even panic attacks. This is one of several factors that caused my wife to leave. She did not want to spend the rest of her life with someone who had such troubles. Often I am able to jerk myself out the door and go for a brisk 20 - 30 minute walk and this is very helpful. When I worked in an office there were mornings where I declared that I was going down the street for coffee. Really, I was taking one of those walks. Other times over the years I was so anxious that I could not leave the room, answer the phone, read, think.
And I will go for weeks and months even with out any problem, and then the cycle begins again. Of course I have prayed and sought God's help. Apparently there is some reason for this to continue, for one thing, I will certainly enjoy heaven where we won't have these issues anymore.
I do find that some of the devotional practices that I have discovered in the ancient church of the apostles help greatly. Particularly praying the Jesus Prayer, and now seeking the aid of saints.
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In Christ,
Monte W
(Formerly on CHN Forum as "Pilgrim Paul"
Minima Maxima Sunt
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maryjean
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| Joined: | Sat Feb 24th, 2007 |
| Location: | York County, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 39 |
| First Name: | Jean | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Presbyterian to non-practicing to Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Mar 7th, 2007 02:45 am |
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The Rosary...over and over and over again. Actually, that's how it all started for me. I was in a very bad way and Pope John Paul II announced the Year of the Rosary. I saw it in the news and thought 'what could it hurt? nothing else has helped...'
The Rosary helped and brought so much peace to me and then led me to the Church. I recommend it highly!
jean
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Psalm 4
jean
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susiedear
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| Joined: | Thu Oct 12th, 2006 |
| Location: | Twin Cities, Minnesota USA |
| Posts: | 186 |
| First Name: | Elizabeth | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Pentecostal / Evangelical / Catholic! |
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Posted: Wed Mar 7th, 2007 01:21 pm |
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Yes, Jean, I know of what you speak! I pray the rosary and it speaks deep comfort to my soul as I cry out to my heavenly mother. Even though I am not clinically depressed, my mom's rejection of the Catholic faith, and thust her rejection of me, hurts. Our Blessed Mother gives me comfort and peace of mind.
This thread has been very, very helpful. Don't you love that we have a safe place to write and share? Thanks be to God for the CH Network.
Elizabeth
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But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. St. Augustine
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Steven Barrett
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| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 1188 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Mar 7th, 2007 02:51 pm |
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Darlene,
I saw your posting the other day but haven't gotten around to telling you it was excellent! Brought back a lot of memories (I'd just as soon forget) but for a good reason. Your testimony certainly put a smile on God's face that day. His memory's perfect and while sometimes He seems to take too much time (on our schedules, that is), He never forgets us. On the other hand, our record isn't so good. I suppose that's why we need the parents, spouses and clergy to ring our bells. Better them than a lightning bolt.
Unfortunately, I still get those anxiety attacks once in a while. Trouble is, ya never know when you're really going to get the BIG ONE and just an old fashioned panic attack. No sense worrying because all worrying will lead to are more panic attacks and feeling pretty dumb afterwards because everyone else got a panic attack as a result of a false alarm.
You really rattled my memory box with your description of sudden moments of sadness, inexplicable sadness to others. I had a couple I can recall pretty well, and to be honest, I'm a mite embarrassed over the circumstances. One of them occured during a long, hot and boring drive up the MS Delta towards Memphis from Vicksburg. For some reason, boredom, perhaps a snide remark from one of my two brothers, and I was sniffing and weeping.
Who knows, but it happened and I still can't figure it out. The Blacks sweating in the cotton fields we passed by (this was 1961) had a lot more to weep about than a ten-year old white boy on a trip from San Antonio TX to Dayton OH and MA.
The other happened in West Berlin two years later. We were all set to take the dependents tour bus through East Berlin, and for some reason, I got a case of the blues and almost decided not to go, even though I had been looking forward to it beforehand. (Was ist los? The Germans would say.)
Well, I went and it made a lasting impression. In fact, I went again with the Boy Scouts and to this day I get to brag about being behind the Iron Curtain and Wall twice to my kids. But I betray my age when I tell 'em we used the "Duty Train" that was pulled by a steam loco. How ancient could I appear!
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