Has life ever thrown so much your way that you ended up in a downward spiral you thought you would never recover from? That was me over a decade ago. God put many challenges in my path over the years. Back then I didn’t realize that these were beautiful chances for amazing self growth. No, I saw them all as yet another straw that was sure to break the camel’s back. Fast forward through infertility treatments and surgery, a high risk pregnancy and emergency C-section, a special-needs baby requiring surgery after surgery, and a husband with two traumatic brain injuries…
During all this time I would admire our steadfast 22 foot tall cactus that represented this incredible pillar of strength to me. While looking out the door watching what represented a beacon of light, I would find myself saying “If anything happens to this cactus, that will be the end of me.” I watched as it held steady during one monsoon season after another as palms in the neighborhood tossed to and fro. As life threw one blow after another I continued my mantra “If anything happens to this cactus that will be the end of me.” I had no idea at the time – the power of my words.
I was deep in a downward spiral of constant worry. It seemed that nothing anyone could do or say would keep me from worrying and I was paralyzed in doubt and fear. I didn’t know which way to turn, and I can honestly say at that point in my life I had little faith that things would ever get better. I remember asking God “Just how much more can our family endure. Hadn’t we already been through enough? What were we doing wrong. What was I doing wrong?”
Everyone has a turning point in their life and mine was a year later when my mighty cactus died and fell to the ground with an earth-shattering roar. I couldn’t believe that something so mighty and strong could have possibly fallen. I remember always saying “If anything happens to that cactus, it will be the end of me.” What now? Where was my beacon of light? It was at that time I realized the power of words. I looked back on all the times I was asked if we were ever going to move from our house. I can’t even begin to remember the number of times I replied “Move? No way. We’re gonna die in this house.” We’re gonna die in this house? What in the world was I thinking?
When I totally surrendered to God our outlook began looking up. For so many years I was trying to stay in control and as funny as it sounds now, I was feverishly trying to control the chaos which was doing nothing but completely controlling me! God began to show me how moments of perceived crisis are actually pivotal points to opportunities whose magnificent outcome is unforeseen in our eyes at that moment.
So here’s a few lessons I learned…
Your words and thoughts have incredible power – you tell the Universe each and every day what you want through your words and thoughts and the Universe is more than happy to oblige! Make the conscious decision to keep your thoughts positive. Think of Nelson Mandela being imprisoned for nearly 27 years, yet he wrote many books and his prison cell became a place of great learning.
If you are caught in a downward spiral, you need to make a complete shift in your thinking to pull yourself out. No one else can do it for you! You have to be willing to do it for yourself. One way is to be present in each and every moment. Refuse to go through life with blinders on thinking you are the only one that has it bad. Make the conscious choice to find at least one thing to be grateful for each day. The more you focus on the positive, the more positive you will attract into your life.
Trust that there’s a plan for you. You may feel like your life is completely unraveling, like I did. Just trust with every fiber of your being that it is unfolding in the best way possible for your highest good.
Join the Day Of Love to share and learn and grow with each and every one of us. After all, it takes a village!
Gaill Blackburn
Healer, Intuitive, Author, Speaker, Coach, Non-Profit Co-Founder, Volunteer
