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.


Thursday, January 13, 2011

Strength

My niece is 21 years old. She was attacked by her "best friend" two nights ago. Dogs are supposed to be our protectors... our friends... our companions. Two nights ago, my niece's protector brutally, without any hint of provocation, attacked her. As a result, she had to undergo extensive plastic surgery on her mouth and ear, and had stitches put into her arm and hand. She also incurred injuries on her chest and one of her breasts.

The remarkable thing is this: My husband and I went to see her in the hospital this morning, and she wasn't feeling sorry for herself or screaming about how horrible her dog was for doing this to her - she was very calm and showed remarkable strength... strength far beyond her years! She showed us that she was going to be okay.

Life sometimes hands us terrible blows. We have things happen to us that we don't deserve - things we didn't do anything to provoke. The question is: How do we handle them? Do we show the strength and grace that my niece has shown in her situation, or do we shout to the world, "What did I do to deserve this?"

2 Timothy 4:17
"But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength..."
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