I was honoured to assist in a funeral of Terry, a member of one of the churches that I have been working with. I met Terry eight years ago when I filled in one Sunday at his church. I remember that day because I felt unready, anxious, self-conscious, and afraid.
(You see, due to my accident I had an acquired brain injury and could not speak at all initially. As my speech returned, I stuttered and couldn’t put words together. My processing ability had been reduced to less than 10% and I had been diagnosed by a neuropsychologist as “completely disabled.”)
Remarkably I said yes to the request of preaching at Terry’s church. I felt God was giving me a wee nod to speak again and share His hope and promise to find peace, hope, and resurrection in times of trouble. In other words, “to bounce back when life bucks you off!”
The service went beautifully. Afterward, as I stood at the back of the church to greet people as they exited, a big fellow in a racing car jacket came to shake my hand and said, “I know how hard that was, but you did great. Just keep going.” That big man was Terry.
I didn’t know at that time that Terry had cancer and was sharing that statement – “Just keep going” from his own experience. And over the years, when I was at his church, I was amazed at his tenacity, strength, and courage to “just keep going”.
I never forgot what he said. I remembered it again and again when it just seemed so hard to go on.
“Just keep going”
“Just keep going”, though the road ahead looks tough.
“Just keep going” when it seems nothing is going right.
“Just keep going” when troubles arise, when life seems chaotic and crazy.
“Just keep going!”
Pit Stops
I know that Terry’s ability to “Just keep going” was his faith. During his week of treatments, work, and obligations, he would pause in that week to give thanks.
I believe he would have paused often throughout his busy days in thankfulness, as the cancer would have heightened his awareness of the sacredness of passing moments, that seem so fleeting and precious.
I believe God remains in our struggles, the cancer, the dis-ease, the depression, the divorce, the deadlines, the transition of death, to carry us through.
Yet we need strategies to cope with moments that seem overwhelming in this loss or change that is occurring in our lives.
This of course is the NeuroMindSHIFT APB – gain Awareness – Pause – and Breathe.
And the APB NeuroMindSHIFT can be applied to being Mindful, Prayerful, and Thankful to transform chaos and a sense of overwhelming to Hope, Harmony, and Happiness.
Mindfulness – is attained by practicing the moment-to-moment NeuroMindSHIFT practices. Examples of these are yawning, the Gamut tap, Thymus tap, and the 3 Point Breathing in Harmony process. You can find many more examples in the 21 Day NeuroMindSHIFT process.
When you are mindful you are staying present to the moment, not racing too far ahead or looking back.
Prayerfulness – akin to meditation, prayer quiets the mind and soul in an inner silent communion, which can also use mantra-like repetition. It is an inner experience that is essential for the nourishment of the human spirit.
Thomas Merton, a 20th-century Anglo-American monk, saw Zen-like forms of contemplative prayer as the route to authenticity, where we rid ourselves of preconceptions and open up to God, our Essence, “the ground of being.”
Prayer can contain the element of peace, healing, and love of others.
It is the use of the NeuroMindSHIFT labyrinth to shift the mind to inner peace, focus, resilience, and a quiet mind, the 4 cornerstones of success and happiness.
This can transform the chaos, feelings of anxiety, depression, and fears through a NeuroMindSHIFT script to use with the labyrinth that highlights the 6 stages of transformation.
This script and process embodies the saying by Goethe – “What lies before us and what lies behind us is of little consequence compared to what lay within us.”
Thankfulness – counting your blessings. Being thankful NOW is the key.
It is designing our thoughts and attitudes to see grace filled moments every day and giving thanks. The benefits of being thankful and being aware of what you think and say is a crucial element in your happiness and success because our thoughts design our life.
And what you think, you often say. And what you say, what you declare, becomes what you live.
Your turn
What do you think? Do you believe that the NeuroMindSHIFT of being Mindful, Prayerful, and Thankful can transform your life?
Reply to this email or connect with me on Facebook and let me know.
My process can help you shift from anxiety, frustration, and hopelessness to hope, harmony, and happiness in a hurry-up world.
Until next time, many blessings. And remember – there is a greatness that lies within you – create inner peace and a quiet mind to tap into this! And “just keep going”.
Sharon
