Ascension : News From The Grotto - Thought Of The Week
Submitted by The Islander (Shari Parkhill) 26.10.2006 (Article Archived on 09.11.2006)

This past week was a somewhat sad one for myself and some friends. We had to pack up a friend’s belongings since she is unable to return to the Island. She loved it here, and had people who loved her.

This past week was a somewhat sad one for myself and some friends.  We had to pack up a friend’s belongings since she is unable to return to the Island.  She loved it here, and had people who loved her.  We also said good-bye to another friend who was returning to the UK after her tour of duty.  For me, this is one of the few difficulties living on Ascension.  Due to the transient nature of the population, we always seem to be saying good-bye to someone.  And it is always sad to have to say good-bye to the good people in our lives.  I have a saying posted on the wall of my office:

Some people come into our lives and quietly go;

Others stay for a while and leave footprints on our heart,

And we are never the same.

                Heartbreak and hard times seem to always be a fact of life.  We all have to live through our fair share of troublesome times.  No matter how bad things seem to get, I do believe in the old adage, the one that says if you just look around, you will always see someone who is carrying an even heavier burden.  This is so true.  And it is our duty as Christians to help them, and try to lighten their load.

                But how do we do this when we are saddened ourselves by our own circumstances?  By remembering that God is there to help us out.  When we are weak, He is strong.  God is always there to lean on.  He is our strength, and He should be, through not only the bad times, but the good.  We all tend to get wrapped up in our lives, and when things are going well, and we are blessed with happiness, success, good friends and good times, we tend to put our faith, and our expressions of faith, aside for a time.  Then, when things start falling apart, we turn back to God and our faith.  There is nothing wrong with asking for God to help us shoulder our burdens, but we shouldn’t forget Him in the good times. 

                Since we lean on God in the difficult times, it is only fair that as people of faith, we should offer the same assistance to others.  When we are strong, there is undoubtedly someone in our sphere who is need of some extra care, a helping hand, a shoulder to lean on, an ear for their troubles.  The prayer of St. Francis is a good one to remember:

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace,

That where there is hatred, I may bring love;

That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;

That where there is discord, I may bring harmony;

That where there is error, I may bring truth;

That where there is doubt, I may bring faith;

That where there is despair, I may bring hope;

That where there are shadows, I may bring light;

That where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;

To understand, than to be understood;

To love, than to be loved.

For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.

It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.

It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.

                So, this week, as we count our own blessings, let us remember and take note of those around us who might need us to demonstrate our faith.  Let us be their strength, and in so doing, let God live in us.

                Mary and Lisa, may God bless you as you travel down a new path in your journey through life.  And thank-you for leaving footprints on our hearts.