ART  & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©

When fears and worries are so real,
We sometimes wonder why we feel,
The pangs of deep depression.

The weight’s extreme – we lose all hope,
Our hearts grow sad – for strength we grope,
To lighten this progression.

We look within and try to cope
There are no answers in our scope
It now becomes oppression.

We try so hard to rise above,
We search in vain for any love.
To deal with this obsession.

We cannot do it on our own,
We need one advocate alone,
To bring our full confession.

God takes our hand and leads us out,
Relieves our pain – our fear – our doubt.
He is our best possession.

His love is great – it sees us through
When there is nothing we can do.
Our words hold no expression.

He lifts us from the pit of death.
He died for us to give us breath.
To wipe out our transgression.

When we lose someone to death, there’s an immediate sadness.  We worry how we’ll survive, how we’ll pay for funeral expenses, how we’ll live without the deceased.  In this situation we all could use a big hug, but even that doesn’t make the pain go away.  We must keep ourselves occupied, busy and in some sort of state of normalcy.  One of the signs of depression is escaping into the world of sleep. This place of refuge seems the most logical, because for the most part sleep eats up time that we would normally be using to mourn. With sleep dreams come. They may be about the departed. They may leave you even more depressed. So, how does one escape this downward spiral. It becomes a dark rabbit hole that could ultimately lead to suicidal thoughts. If you thought you were vulnerable at the beginning of this process, it appears even worse as time goes by.

For me, personally, I have felt this way from time to time. I can usually overcome feelings of depression by finding something to keep me busy. Lately, I’ve been going through the motions of living. I rise early in the morning. I do all the necessary things to get ready for the day. I sit down in front of my computer and think about what to write for my daily blog. Most of my morning is spent doing household chores. The afternoons have been swallowed up lately with dangerous air quality. My breathing issues make it almost impossible to go outside, so I stay in trying to keep my mind occupied with menial tasks. After dinner, I retreat to my chair and watch television until it’s time to go to bed. I think this step is probably the hardest because I begin to feel alone, even though I have my grandson living with me. For these many past months there has been a plethora of activity. Now there is none. This is the time to set aside those lonely feelings and reach out to those who care about you. You may think you can handle everything on your own, but you can’t.

God has been with you during this entire time. He will continue to walk with you and guide you through the plan He has designed for your life. Don’t ever forget that. Also, this is the time to reach out to those closest to you. Your family and friends can be a great source of encouragement. Don’t let your mind shift into dark places. The Light of the World is your best friend. He will never let you go.