My family has gone through some pretty scary illnesses, the kind that bring an outpouring of responses from the people around you.  During this most recent episode, there were lots of people who prayed and kept us in their thoughts.  Having been through it before, I have strong feelings and have kind of come to terms with my feelings about it.

I never pray for someone to be healed or for miracles, although I do believe miracles can happen.  The reason I don’t do that is because it puts God or whichever power you pray to in the position of making decisions on who gets a disease or gets hurt and who gets healed or spared.  If you and all the people you know pray and it doesn’t work, does that mean you deserved it or didn’t pray hard enough or what?  Why would I think that my family deserves to be damned or saved any more than anyone else, that we would be the chosen ones today or flicked away tomorrow?  Why would I want to feel like my God let me down if it doesn’t work out?  I can guarantee you are mad and scared and floundering and wishing there were someone to blame or yell at and I really don’t think it needs to be God.  You are shaking your fist at nature and all the variables it brings to our lives.

What I’ve learned is that the power of prayer and wonderful thoughts is very, very strong because there is no way you can’t feel the energy from all the good vibes that are being sent your way.  You and your family are wrapped in love and it sends a strength that makes it possible to deal and live with the challenges you are facing.  That is something you can’t underestimate.

When you face something that challenges everything you hold dear, you need every bit of inner strength you can muster.  We have reserves built through years of learning and loving and being loved that need to be reenforced with the knowledge that you have others who will pick you up when you feel like falling down.  It’s important.

You also build up these reserves by sending love and concern to others when you feel strong and they feel weak.  They will return it to you when your positions are reversed.  I don’t care if someone says they pray for me or have me in their thoughts or light candles or send a card.  It all helps.

If you’re going to live a life of faith or strive to be a good person, you are going nowhere unless you learn to love others, even those who aren’t so obviously lovable.  I think that’s what all the great religions, writers, thinkers, songwriters, poets and artists tell us.

Thanks for all the good vibes, prayers, thoughts and messages that have come our way through the years.  I look forward to being able to send the love right back to you.