Sorrow Often Replaces Joy

“Sorrow often replaces joy but what replaces sorrow?

The Right Story......

"Deep inside emptiness grows…… Tomorrows light will find me well within my work and dusk will come before I return… Sometimes, I just grow tired and I wait for the energy to return……”

The return of the Eagle or the birth of the Phoenix…. In destruction comes rebirth; from out of the ash a diamond but not without fire and PRESSURE.

In this day of uncertainty, hard economic times and relationship instability, I often hear the cries of the damaged soul. Like the above JOURNAL entry, people tend to get lost in the “story” of despair and defeat. Yet, it is in their story that true healing takes place. The trick is to tell the “right” story.

So what is the “right” story?

The soul often becomes damaged from trauma; the Trauma of War, the Trauma of Life, the Trauma of Relationships or the Trauma of Family. We get stuck within the damage of the past and let it define our story of the present. The past can be as fresh as a few seconds ago….

It is in "how" we tell our Story that we define "who" we will be and in defining "who" we will be, we become "who" we are. It is therefore, a destiny of choice; the choice of a “story” and which "story" we will tell.

Your story and the manner in which you tell it, will define you…. I know, it is a difficult concept because it is a concept of accountability, not a concept of victimization. You are victimized once and that is by the specific deed. The depth of that victimization we hold within the “Story”.  The "story" we tell, which defines us. It is in the telling of that “story” we become and in becoming, we are relaeased.

We can “relive” the injustice that befall us and retell the “story” of our demise, or we can tell the “story” of how we fought through it and the strength of character and perseverance we developed from its journey. In that strength, we can find hope.  In that strength we can find a sense of purpose for the future.

Through the "story", we can find our true self.  Through the "story" we can find a deeper strength, not a defeatist attitude of failure and self destruction. It is within the “Story” we heal.

As with all “real” Warriors, the walk is not without its peril. It is dangerous to come face to face with you and know that true bravery does not come with the destruction of the enemy but with facing him head on and letting him know he is not in control of you…. The bravery is not in killing the enemy but in letting him live.

Native American Plains People use to have “rights” of passage. Becoming a Warrior was not in killing the enemy but in counting Coup; similar to a game of tag.

You face the danger and slap it in the face… You then tell your “story” around the campfire at night. You tell your "story" to your community. You don’t keep it hidden. Others share in your “story”. Your "story" is in how you faced your enemy and in facing him, defeated him. In turn, your community tells your "story" and your "story" supports you. You are transformed by the “story” you tell. Yes, your "story"; the "story" that will define you.

We are the makers and tellers of our story.

Is your story about self destruction, defeat, rejection or abuse? Or are they just markers in your story of rebirth, strength, purpose and character. Remember, we are the architects of our life and the tellers of our stories…. It is up to each of us to live it in a purposeful way. To do that, we have to tell our “story”. The “right” story.

As always, it’s a choice…. But we are already “Story Tellers”…… Maybe, it’s just the stories we choose to tell…

Be the director of your life. Tell your story and tell it with purpose. For it is in the “telling” of the story we heal and in the “story” that we become real. Don’t let life circumstances define who you are and who you will become.

I have made my choice… Have you made yours? Go ahead... Tell your story….  Make it the “right” story…. The story that shows who you really are and the person you have become….


Until next time…. The campfires are waiting….. There are songs to be sung and stories to be told…..