« The hidden blessing in your partner's diagnosis »

Blessing you say? Am I crazy? Finding blessings in a chronic illness diagnosis may be hard to stomach, especially if this is brand new, but think about it. If this diagnosis is the new reality, what benefit do you get from fighting it? Long term denial and struggling more than necessary only serve to drain you both more in the end. That can't be good for either of you or your health. Not that you wont have growing pains through this ordeal, but I would like to address a positive. The biggest blessing hidden in this diagnosis is the change in perspective you now have at your finger tips. Within this blessing of perspective change lay many other tiny blessings, all now within your reach if you choose to cultivate them.

So what is this first big blessing? This change in perspective? The realization that change is the only constant, that you are human, that life is short. If you let this sink in it can have a profound impact on you going forward. It can help ground you as you deal with the harsh realities of the illness and the change ahead.

Let me explain a little more. Your spouse is still alive. You still have time together, not only that you have the gift of really understanding that your time together could be limited. How many people are never given that chance? I mean sure, we all die at some point, we all know it, but most people are walking around never thinking about it and getting caught up in the drama of day to day life. You have a gift in this diagnosis, in that you have been reminded of the nature of the universe (change) and the preciousness of your life and time together. Battling a chronic illness is a tough job. You will need every tool and every angle and will need to hold on to every positive with a tight grasp to get through the experience. Seeing this blessing is just the beginning in your arsenal of stock piling the good, the happy and the positive. If you don't you will be weighed down by the grief, fear and pain of the situation. It is important to learn to see even the tiniest good in a situation. I will spend more time in future blogs addressing the victim mentality and practicing gratitude as these issues are all closely intertwined.