June 2007 - Janelle's Blog

Seeing Life Through Different Eyes

I knew of an elderly woman who lived in a rickety old house that had paint peeling off the sides. Looking at her life, you would think she had little for which to be grateful. Yet, every day she took her folding lawn chair and sat for long periods of time in front of her house gazing across the yard. You see, she had previously strewn wild flower seeds all over the yard. Her yard was a field of multi-colored flowers. She did not wait for life to improve before she found its existing beauty.

Life Brings Unexpected Turns

A slight young woman stood in front of me with her blond-streaked hair swaying back and forth as she talked. She was energy in motion. Her hope-filled eyes drew my full attention as she related her story. She was working for the weekend as a referee at the World Championship Bunco Tournament in Las Vegas benefiting the National Breast Cancer Foundation. She was so young, only 22, yet she faced a heavy burden.

I was moved to tears last night while watching the DVD Freedom Writers. OK, I confess, I cried all the way through it.

Erin Gruwell, landed her first teaching assignment in a racially-torn high school riveted with drugs and violence. While this could have been a worn-out movie script, there was a freshness to the plot. Erin gave her students a voice by teaching them to journal their feelings and experiences. This new way of expressing their frustrations was foreign to the students, but soon helped them regain the controls of their lives.

Although this was a movie script based on a true story, it may not be your reality.

You may feel life has dealt you a double whammy. All odds are against you. Everything seems to have spiraled out of control. Then you, or someone you love, gets breast cancer. You are overwhelmed and depressed because you can't find a way out of your troubles.