One more day

Have you ever thought that sometimes turning our obstacles into opportunities is simply a matter of making it through just one more day?



I learned this lesson from an an unexpected source when I was the guest speaker at a luncheon. The audience was a group of individuals who work with disabled people with high needs. I spoke on my favourite topics: How to turn obstacles into opportunities, treating others with compassion in the midst of struggle and how to keep your encouragement tank full, so you have more to give out. The intended audience was very receptive, but it was the unintended audience who had the biggest impact on me.



After the speech, I was taken by surprise when one of the banaquet staff, who had been clearing dessert plates at the luncheon came up to me and said, "I was in the room while you were giving your speech and up until today I wanted to quit my job, but what you said helped me and I think I can make it through just one more day."



As I spoke with this women, I learned she was supporting two children, I sensed she was on her own. She worked long hours and had an inconsistant pay check. One look at her tired eyes and strained face told me, she had made a lifestyle of converting her obstacles into opportunities out of sheer survival.



She didn't tell me what was said that was so helpful to her. But something had changed. It wasn't something external like her hours, pay or family situation that was different, but her smile and tone of voice indicated that she was viewing life from an empowered prespective internally. I speculate that as I shared about overcoming the daily challenges associated with cerebral palsy, learning to walk, talk, read and write, perhaps she sensed that the key to overcoming her challenges was to make it through this day and then another and another. Sometimes, problems are enhanced because we try to take on too much all at once, rather than going step by step.



It ocurred to me as I spoke to this lady, that life can be more manageable, if we think about just making it through one more day and helping others to do the same. The things we say and do, do not necessarily have to get people through the rest of their entire lives, they just have to make a difference today.



If your challenge today is wondering how you can make a positive difference in your life or in the lives of others, consider the fact that small acts of kindness combined with well timed words of encouragement can help someone make it through just one more day. That may make a world of difference.



What do you think?

Terry Harris

Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy when he was two years old, Terry Harris in the opinion of many experts within the medical and education professions, would never walk, talk, read, write or go to a regular school. It was recommended to his parents that he beplaced in an institution. In 1995 Terry graduated from Brock University with a B.A. in English Literature and obtained a degree in marriage and family therapy in 1999 from Tyndale Seminary.