Christ_empowered
Member
- Oct 23, 2010
- 14,237
- 10,721
OK. I'm -not- a big Rick Warren fan. Nothing against the dude, but...reading The Purpose Driven Life didn't teach me much about actual faith in Christ, I'm afraid. Kind of like...Splenda is kinda like sugar, but not really...or chicory can substitute for coffee in a pinch, but most people will run to the real thing once possible (unless its instant, of course).
Having said that...he's got some catchy sayings, and one of them is: "attitude of gratitude." I didn't mean to be an ingrate and such, it just kinda...snuck up on me, I guess. I get picked on a lot, I pick up a lot of static from people around me. Just today, I was out at a convenience store near mah new place, and the lady clerk was surly as could be. I mean...whoa. I -get- that its 7 AM or whatever, but...c'mon, lady; smile a little! oh, and...a small bag would have been nice.
but, yeah: attitude of gratitude!
I Praise you, God, for having pity on me, a sinner, yet again....and, honestly, time and time again. Let me count the ways I'm thankful...
a) my parents have warmed up to me and its ongoing; b) i dont have to work a low wage job where I'll be mercilessly picked on and then terminated when I get uppity; c) the old shrinks and counselors, etc. are not 'treating' me d) my new place is awesome, and by His grace, my parents own it, lock, stock+barrel ; e) my vehicle is clean, safe, and running smoothly; f) I'm physically healthy, albeit tubby...I Just need to diet, lose weight, work out, like 60% of America; g) my 'severe mental illness' may not be a dream come true, but I take 2 things now (Rx), and they're covered by disability and get the job done, no major problems; h) i even get to take massive doses of antioxidants, vitamins, etc. not a panacea, but...my skin is good, my allergies are better, and (here's the big one) I tolerate the tranq a whole, whole lot better. and...
CFnet. Eugene, reba, fhg, airdancer, jasonc, tessa...people i've 'met' (so to speak) here pray for and with me, and i pray for them, too. Compare this site to, say, the many forums for people in psych 'treatment...'
man oh man. some people need rx drugs, no doubt, but those places...now, I find them more than a little bit depressing. One of them I post on now and then...a person wrote in about being on an (involuntary) long acting injection of a newer antipsychotic. in a lot of places, a doc signs an order, the person has to show up and they're injected with a drug that lasts 1 month, give or take. so, this person wrote into this particular forum saying that he/she was having trouble -breathing- on 'treatment...'
and because this individual is a 'mental patient,' the shrink won't do anything, the treatment is involuntary, and...what to do? blah. that could easily be me, possibly even worse off. i didn't have major advice, except...try to get over to a family doctor or some other medical person who would keep an eye out for -safety-, a factor in 'treatment' that often seems to be lost on the psych 'experts' (trust me on this one...).
rambling. i have so much to be thankful for, I really. 'twas grace that saved a wretch like me. i was not a sinless victim, in years past. i kind of wonder if...well, given how mightily God has moved in my life, I do sometimes wonder if maybe I was just so lost, even before the drugs and illnesses (physical and 'mental') that...I ended up being spared in part because of 'mitigating factors,' or...something. I don't know..."put aside what is behind and press forward..."
I'm getting there. thanks for reading, btw.
Having said that...he's got some catchy sayings, and one of them is: "attitude of gratitude." I didn't mean to be an ingrate and such, it just kinda...snuck up on me, I guess. I get picked on a lot, I pick up a lot of static from people around me. Just today, I was out at a convenience store near mah new place, and the lady clerk was surly as could be. I mean...whoa. I -get- that its 7 AM or whatever, but...c'mon, lady; smile a little! oh, and...a small bag would have been nice.
but, yeah: attitude of gratitude!
I Praise you, God, for having pity on me, a sinner, yet again....and, honestly, time and time again. Let me count the ways I'm thankful...
a) my parents have warmed up to me and its ongoing; b) i dont have to work a low wage job where I'll be mercilessly picked on and then terminated when I get uppity; c) the old shrinks and counselors, etc. are not 'treating' me d) my new place is awesome, and by His grace, my parents own it, lock, stock+barrel ; e) my vehicle is clean, safe, and running smoothly; f) I'm physically healthy, albeit tubby...I Just need to diet, lose weight, work out, like 60% of America; g) my 'severe mental illness' may not be a dream come true, but I take 2 things now (Rx), and they're covered by disability and get the job done, no major problems; h) i even get to take massive doses of antioxidants, vitamins, etc. not a panacea, but...my skin is good, my allergies are better, and (here's the big one) I tolerate the tranq a whole, whole lot better. and...
CFnet. Eugene, reba, fhg, airdancer, jasonc, tessa...people i've 'met' (so to speak) here pray for and with me, and i pray for them, too. Compare this site to, say, the many forums for people in psych 'treatment...'
man oh man. some people need rx drugs, no doubt, but those places...now, I find them more than a little bit depressing. One of them I post on now and then...a person wrote in about being on an (involuntary) long acting injection of a newer antipsychotic. in a lot of places, a doc signs an order, the person has to show up and they're injected with a drug that lasts 1 month, give or take. so, this person wrote into this particular forum saying that he/she was having trouble -breathing- on 'treatment...'
and because this individual is a 'mental patient,' the shrink won't do anything, the treatment is involuntary, and...what to do? blah. that could easily be me, possibly even worse off. i didn't have major advice, except...try to get over to a family doctor or some other medical person who would keep an eye out for -safety-, a factor in 'treatment' that often seems to be lost on the psych 'experts' (trust me on this one...).
rambling. i have so much to be thankful for, I really. 'twas grace that saved a wretch like me. i was not a sinless victim, in years past. i kind of wonder if...well, given how mightily God has moved in my life, I do sometimes wonder if maybe I was just so lost, even before the drugs and illnesses (physical and 'mental') that...I ended up being spared in part because of 'mitigating factors,' or...something. I don't know..."put aside what is behind and press forward..."
I'm getting there.
thanks for reading, btw.