Surviving Life’s Storms

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!

I used to sing this and dance to it when I was four years old. My father had given me the most wondrous magic wand made from cardboard and wrapped in aluminum foil. It sparkled like a star! I believed in magic – my wand and my paintbrush transported me to the Invisible World. I lived then, and still live now, with wonder and excitement. Life for me has been a magical journey.

I have learned in my life that with every step we take, every thought we have, we are nourishing the shadows – or nourishing the Light.

We have the power to create a Life of Joy, and at some point in our lives, we all deal with loss. I’ve dealt with multiple deaths, the tragic ending of a loving relationship, losing my health, suffering pain, disappointment, I had to learn to forgive violence, judgment and hatred…many times I felt stunned and in despair, I felt through sometimes that I couldn’t survive some of life’s storms. I felt weak and destroyed. I had lost hope, with feelings of helplessness and exhaustion.

My Spirit connection was “low” – that’s what I thought at the trial moments of my Life. But years later I’ve come to realize that those were the moments when God was carrying me, where my ego was being cracked and my being was forced to be more humble. I realized that resistance created more pain.

All stages in life are essential for our renewal. Living through the pain is as important as living the joy. It is how we deal with both, how well we accept life’s tests without resistance, that will help us elevate our consciousness.

The storms of Life serve as catalysts. With their energy they help us transform everything needed along the road to self-regeneration. They help us change our perception from one based in the physical world to that of the Spiritual world. Learning from them helps us shift from a world of chaos to a world of inner Peace. Those catalysts can lead us to our awakening.

As in the wondrous process by which a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly, sickness can represent an opportunity for reconstruction, a way to revamp our lives, to re-emerge.

Though adversity may place heavy strains on us, it is definitively a fundamental obstacle that we must overcome on the path to true self-discovery.

Remember, “IT IS VALUABLE TO FEEL PAIN. Pain nourishes your courage. It can weaken the ego, strengthen humility, and increase compassion. Pain is a human process that we should not fight against. It is a lesson to let go of all of the attachment that we may have. By living the experience of pain we mature and move forward….”

Humbly yours,

Jacqueline Ripstein