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.


Sunday, November 28, 2010

Advent


Well, today is the first day of Advent… the beginning of the Christian year. What an exciting time! This is the season that we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and all the HOPE that the miracle of that moment represents to mankind. I know it can definitely be hard to reconcile “Jesus the baby” with “Jesus the man” he became… the man that hung bloody and broken, dying on a cross, approximately 33 years later.

When each of us were born – swaddled in our blankets in some hospital nursery – I’m sure our family dreamed of how we would change the world. Maybe they imagined we would be doctors, lawyers, firefighters – maybe a president out there among us – no matter what, we were destined for greatness. They, I’m positive, looked in our eyes and saw nothing but perfection. I can’t even imagine what Mary felt when she looked in baby Jesus’ eyes for the first time – what a spectacular gift.

Jesus was God’s gift to humanity, but He also has given us all a unique gift… it’s in our DNA. We are capable of doing great things with these abilities – each one of us. All we have to do is “listen” for Him – He’ll tell us how to use those talents. Utilizing what is given to us is our present back to Him. Maybe that can be the first thing we give for Christmas this year!

Photo - http://www.freebibleillustrations.com/main.php/v/42_Luke/
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