depression

I have struggled with major depression the last 3-4 years. I have been hospitalized once and on several differant kinds of medication. Depression is a complex thing and sometimes not very well understood. One thing the depressed person needs is to have someone that cares about them and knows how to help them process and sort through the things that are going on. Mine has been a combination of things. Inbalanced hormones has played a part in the depression.... Also playing into the picture was alot of emotional turmoil that I was in about some life issues. These things are not always easily resolved. Depression upsets the life of a person in many ways...for me there was and still is certain things that I could do at one time and have not been able to do since depression. One thing is sewing...it used to be something I really enjoyed doing and now I can hardly bring myself to sew. I have had someone else helping me out in this area. I can think more about sewing than I could at one time so I am hoping we are moving in the right direction with it. Someone told me that with time it will come back. Another big thing in my journey with depression was the accident of our girl, which I will write about another time. It was a very traumatic time and it made the depression worse. It was after that I landed in the hospital afraid I would do something bad to the ones I loved. I couldn't handle daily life anymore. Medication helps but you also need to get at the root of things so I started counseling more in earnest...I had done some before but it became apparent that there were things that were crippling me up so to speak and it needed to be addressed. We have a dedicated pastor and one that cares deeply for hurting people and so with his help and guidance we struggled on. I had stuffed so many things inside and now they were all screaming to be heard and I didn't know how to keep going. I just wanted to die alot of the time. The real person...the one that wanted Jesus and to do what was right seemed to hide all the time, seemed to be imprisoned. I had to let Jesus come in and slowly but surely help me untangle the inward mess. I still am in the process but I am getting closer to freedom all the time. Praise the Lord. Maybe more later on this subject....

parenting

I was greatly challenged over the weekend as we heard several messages on the home. We certainly have a great responsibility as mothers and fathers. What vision do you have for your family? How are you taking steps to accomplish that vision? These were two of the ideas presented to us. Another one was about meeting the real needs of our children. What are they? One important one is that children need to feel loved and have a sense of belonging. They really need and want boundaries set up for them and enforced even though outwardly they may act like they don't. They need to learn about God and as they grow older to make a decision to make that Him a personal God and then to make pratical applications to that. As children grow their needs get more complex...that is certainly the truth!! WE have a 13, almost 14 year old and there are many times I wonder just what way to take with him. Honesty and humility from the parents are very vital in dealing with teenagers. It is very crucial to keep open the lines of communication with your children but that seems easier said than done sometimes. Parenting takes a lot of time and commitment. We have to constantly evaluate our lifestyle and keep things in their proper priorities. The most important thing we can give to our children is ourselves as people being totally sold out to God and what He wants for our lives. The children will know whether or not you have a vital relationship with God by the way we act. Always treat their emotions as adult emotions...in other words the little thing that has happened to them to make them sad is just as important to them as something that makes us feel sad. For example, your little boy's toy gets stepped on and broken. His feelings about the matter are very real to him even though to us it may just be a cheap toy and nothing worth crying over. May God give us wisdom as parents.

introduction

I am new to the blogging world but would like to broaden my horizons. I have been reading some lately and have really enjoyed it. I am a Christian that is sold out to Christ and all that He wants for me to become. I welcome interaction with all Christian people that want Jesus to be their focus and direction for this life. I will post more later when I have a bit more time to think about all this and what I want to share.