Learn To Let Go

One of the hardest things in the world is learning to let go. Let go of what? Whatever is holding you back. We want things. Often we can’t do them or achieve them because something is bothering us or plaguing us. For some people it is guilt over their past. We can’t undo the past. We can ask for forgiveness and do our best to repair the damage. Then it is time to let it go. We need to move forward to whatever life is offering us. Some people need to let go of bad habits that are ruining their lives. They wonder why they stay in the rut they are in. If they just let go of bad habits, life might change for the better. Others need to let go of grudges. I know so many people who are filled with grudges. Grudges eat away at your heart and soul. They make you hateful and bitter. Let go of grudges and live your life! Quit worrying about someone else’s! Some people need to let go of the need of constant control. We can’t control everything. The world will not quit spinning if we lose control of some aspects. We are not God and that is the way it is meant to be. Let go of some control.

Did any of the above scenarios remind you of yourself? Maybe you should let go. I have struggled with letting go. It’s not the easiest thing to do because worrying and control are part of my make-up. My mother actually used to laugh about this with me. While it is a little comical, it is also quite serious.

Aftermath

 

After someone dies there is always some sort of aftermath. There are things left undone that the people left here have to deal with. There are the speculations about the death itself. There are the mourners trying to recover.

Whitney Houston’s death was tragic and yet so common in a way. Yes, we should remember all the good of her but we shouldn’t idolize her and only believe the good. We should learn a lesson from what she went through. We still don’t know the cause of death, but there is speculation of prescription drugs and alcohol. First, I think we should learn that no matter what we consume (pills, drinks, etc) that we are risking our lives. Just because a doctor prescribes it, that doesn’t mean that it is ok or good for you. It’s scary because these are the people you think you should be able to trust. But there is some personal responsibility as well. We know that mixing drugs and alcohol can be a deadly cocktail and yet people still do it. You’re playing Russian roulette with your life.

Second, we should learn from the tragic lives of these celebrities and use that knowledge in our own lives. While there have been many celebrities who have died from accidental overdoses, it seems fewer people really get it and have the mentality that it won’t happen to them. Don’t be a statistic. Learn. Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Amy Winehouse, and Brittany Murphy were all extremely talented people and yet they died way too young and for no good reason. Demi Moore is in a rehab facility now. I hope that she has learned something and can get her life on track.

Addiction and substance abuse isn’t for the very rich only, though. No, you see it daily. It’s scary. I have known several people with addictions and loved them and hurt because there was nothing I could do to help them. I tried many ways and times to do something to make them stop the self-destruction. There is nothing you can do when someone is bent on tearing their lives up. Sometimes you just have to let them go and pray for their well-being. I have had to do that and it was the hardest thing in the world.

I am praying for the family of Whitney Houston. I don’t know who said it, but “a child lost her mother and a mother lost her child.” That kind of pain never goes away. I can attest to that. I lost my mother 15 years ago. Not a day passes that I don’t think of her and need her. I also pray for the people I know who are troubled with addiction and substance abuse. They may no longer be in my life but I still have a heart full of love and care for them and wish them peace to deal with their problems in a healthy way.

Much love…

Related articles

• Whitney Houston death ‘teachable moment,’ U.S. drug czar says (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
• Whitney Houston’s doctors in drug quiz Questions over pills in hotel suite (blogginghounds.wordpress.com)
• Chaka Khan Talks About Whitney Houston (lukewilliamsgossip.wordpress.com)
• Coroner issues subpoenas for Whitney Houston’s medical, pharmacy records (nj.com)
• White House drug czar: Whitney Houston’s death is a “teachable moment” (hotair.com)

Crossroads

‎”We know we’re coming full circle with God when we stand at a very similar crossroad where we made such a mess of life before, but this time we take a different road.” – Beth Moore

I saw this quote this morning and was touched. How many times have we gone what seems to be round and round and come back to the same spot? It seems so simple to say that we need to do something different yet many of us don’t.

Change of any sort is hard. But so is making the same mistakes over and over. Have you ever done that and ended up asking yourself, “Why? Why did I do that?” Most of the time the answer is pretty easy. It is a lot easier to do what is familiar than it is to do something unfamiliar.

Change is not only hard, but it is scary as well. What adult wants to admit they’re afraid? We are supposed to be adults and saying we are scared of something or that something is hard is to most of us failure in itself. I wish people would quit thinking that way. If we all quit trying to act so unafraid when we’re actually really scared then we might be able to help ourselves and others out.

So if you are at a crossroads and you are looking toward the same path that you always take, consider the path you haven’t taken before. It might lead you out of the mess you’re in.