FINDING HIS VOICE
I am so proud of my son Ben. He is beginning to find his voice.
This past week, he said he needed more help...needed stronger support, needed to enter a hospital. On Saturday-we checked him in.
It takes a lot of courage to ask for help and to accept your limitations-while you are trying to heal. It takes a special someone, to say this isn't working, when the folks around you are wondering why not.
Ben is one of those young men who at 15, is stronger than most men at 52...His strength is drawn from deep within...from the innermost center of his being...That place where spirit and soul merge to make the most amazing miracles possible.
Fighting an eating disorder takes all the strength and energy that a young mind can muster...and all the Love and support a family can provide. But sometimes the stresses of life...the school, the outpatient support groups, the constant thoughts of food and the fear of gaining weight...are just too much to juggle all at once. Ben figured it out faster than most...found his voice, amid the noise that nearly drove him over the edge...and for that I am so grateful.
It is important to listen to our children...to hear what they are saying and to respect their feelings. Because if you don't listen-early on-you will lose them-later on--when they really need someone to set them straight, to show them a better way...and to give them the encouragement they need to be humble enough to learn from their mistakes.
There is very little that we cannot overcome...with an open mind, a willing heart and a power greater than all of us put together. But we must first surrender-everything about us, that is holding us back-from the healing that is going to make us whole.
I believe-that in the next few weeks, Ben will surrender completely-and in return-he will receive the gift of grace that will give him the strength to beat this disease...and he will once again become the beautiful, bright, beacon of light that his brothers and I have always admired.
As tough as this is-and believe me-it is really rough--I am so proud of my Ben!
This past week, he said he needed more help...needed stronger support, needed to enter a hospital. On Saturday-we checked him in.
It takes a lot of courage to ask for help and to accept your limitations-while you are trying to heal. It takes a special someone, to say this isn't working, when the folks around you are wondering why not.
Ben is one of those young men who at 15, is stronger than most men at 52...His strength is drawn from deep within...from the innermost center of his being...That place where spirit and soul merge to make the most amazing miracles possible.
Fighting an eating disorder takes all the strength and energy that a young mind can muster...and all the Love and support a family can provide. But sometimes the stresses of life...the school, the outpatient support groups, the constant thoughts of food and the fear of gaining weight...are just too much to juggle all at once. Ben figured it out faster than most...found his voice, amid the noise that nearly drove him over the edge...and for that I am so grateful.
It is important to listen to our children...to hear what they are saying and to respect their feelings. Because if you don't listen-early on-you will lose them-later on--when they really need someone to set them straight, to show them a better way...and to give them the encouragement they need to be humble enough to learn from their mistakes.
There is very little that we cannot overcome...with an open mind, a willing heart and a power greater than all of us put together. But we must first surrender-everything about us, that is holding us back-from the healing that is going to make us whole.
I believe-that in the next few weeks, Ben will surrender completely-and in return-he will receive the gift of grace that will give him the strength to beat this disease...and he will once again become the beautiful, bright, beacon of light that his brothers and I have always admired.
As tough as this is-and believe me-it is really rough--I am so proud of my Ben!
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