Welcome to Dymphna's Diary

Although I am not Catholic, I find it interesting that "Dymphna" is the patron saint of those who suffer from clinical depression and other mental illnesses. Considering the purpose of this site is to offer inspiration and spiritual guidance to my readers, I felt it was only right I chose her namesake for the title.

In 2010, this site was set up to pass along personal information about how depression has affected my life and the lives of my family. Since then, it has EVOLVED. In 2011, I attempted to present posts that were INSPIRATIONAL to you, my readers. In 2012, I went even deeper with personal stories from people across the United States via touching videos, songs, and interviews. My hope was to show each of you that even when you feel that you are in a situation that no one else could understand, you are not alone. Through it all, my comments have remained to be my personal opinions and spiritual reflections. I will continue to occasionally post information that I feel is beneficial in removing the stigma of mental illness, but regardless I feel blessed to have been given this platform to spread God's love and compassion for ALL people. I wouldn't be where I am today without the strength I receive daily from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My hope is that this blog will help you find some comfort in your life. It most certainly is helping me find comfort in mine.

I want to make it perfectly clear, though, that when I make generalizations regarding mental illness, I am NOT giving advice to anyone. I'm just passing along information that I have found helpful in my life. I'm writing about MY PERSONAL experiences and thoughts. Mental illness affects everyone differently and your situation may not be reflective of mine.


Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Integrity

I heard a story on the radio yesterday…

Seems there was this young man that had been corresponding by mail or computer (not sure which – I caught the story somewhere in the middle) with this woman, Holly, for several months. Anyway, the time had come for this couple to finally meet. The man was extremely excited because he and Holly had a lot in common and had developed a deep friendship with each other.
Since they had never seen each other and had no idea what the other person looked like, they agreed on a plan as to how to recognize each other. He would be carrying his favorite book and she would have a red rose pinned to her lapel. With that in order, he went to the train station the morning of their meeting and waited for her train to arrive.

As he watched the trains come and go, he thought about all the possibilities of this meeting. Finally the train came and he watched the passengers debark. A beautiful woman exited the train, in a lovely green dress and she walked directly to him. Their eyes locked. He felt the spark between them immediately. She whispered, “Hey soldier, up for a good time?” When he realized there was no red rose on her lapel he was devastated.

She continued walking. He turned and watched her go, thinking to himself that he could follow her. He knew that he and Holly had the foundation for a wonderful friendship but he didn’t know if it would develop into anything else. Here was a vibrant woman wanting to go out with him. But he knew in his heart that Holly would also be devastated if she got off the train and he wasn’t there waiting for her. So, he waited.

The last passenger off the train was a woman, with a red rose in her lapel, about 30 years older than he was. He walked up to her and offered his hand. “Hi, Holly, it’s great to finally meet you.” She replied, “I’m not sure what’s going on, son. But a young girl in a green dress gave me this rose and said if you came up to me to tell you this was a test of sorts and for you to meet her across the street at the diner.”

Integrity - adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

What a great story!
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