The suffering warrior

I suffer a lot due to my mental disorders. I was also physically and emotionally abused growing up. I believe that this counted a lot towards me developing mental disorders. I am here because I want to help others. May God bless us all.

I am a new member here and I've more than my fair share of suffering. I won't go into detail now, but let's just say it runs the gamut. Glad to be among friends who understand.

Very cool sidhe54 (could I call you Sid?) I would love to learn more about St. Lydwine!

"Here here" Lorraine! Or should it be Amen? Any way thank you. I think I have already made good friends with members of C.A.F. Many of them in this group. I hope you all have found a friend in me as well. You all have my prayers. God bless!!!

I want to encourage members of this forum. Through this
entire site you develope deep relationships that are spiritual
and become part of your healing and growth in our Lord Jesus.
There some I have made that are crucial to my healing through
their prayer and the example of their walk with God and how
they have won battles and slain dragons that would desire
their loss of faith and salvation. I thank God for this forum and
everything else that has helped me in my walk.
Lorraine

Justin it is St. Lydwine of Schiedham. She is patroness of those afflicted with chronic illness and and prolonged suffering. I'll find some sites w/info on her and put them on your wall or pm you

That picture is awesome sidhe54!!! Who is it though? I know it's not Mary.

JUSTIN...thank you for your prayers and response. I have this mustard seed of faith that has been tested many times and by the grace of God I am at a point where I can start praying again. This is my first attempt to reconnect with a faith filled community and I find it difficult. I am grateful for this time of wellness but I'm afraid of getting sick again which has been the case in the past.

DORIS...I lost my parents and found it one of the hardest losses to get through. The grieving process is a slow one but God loves you dearly.

I also had a run in with an insensitive parish priest. Eventually, we decided that kindness and service was the way to get passed the unreasonable behavior. Later we found out that the parish priest was kind once we were kind to him. He had some problems and needed help. The principle may also be reacting to other problem issues and can't help you right now.

Be patient and kind to the children too. God will bless you for your actions. Also, pray for the priest, parish and school and your heart will change to love and understanding. Pray and ask God how you can love your neighbors and hopefully they will love you back.

I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers during these difficult time.

Gods Blessing,
Susan E.

First I would like to say hello every one and sorry that I haven't been to the group for a while.

Lorraine, no I am no longer depressed, sorry I wasn't clear. I actually use my experience to help others around me. This group is my attempt to branch out a little. I am also a core leader in the parish Jr. high program. This year I will also be giving a talk on Job, my experience, and the power of suffering in Christ at the confirmation class.
Things are getting better. The life I had and the person I was are gone, but I think it's like the "Refiners fire". What is left after the fire, is better than before.

Susan, I have also had to live my faith under hard times. And I'm glad to here and will pray for your continuing recovery as I'm sure others in this group will as well. And I think it's great that you have kept the faith.

Doris, I'm very sorry about your parents. It is the one thing that I dread. I'm also sorry about the school and church problems. Maybe, instead of trying to work with people who won't listen, try talking to the kids about it. Even If they wont stop because they are willing to any thing for a fellow human being, I've seen many kids stop because an adult sternly told them to stop. If that dose not work than I'm afraid I don't know what to do. I will also pray for you.

God bless.

Hello,
I lost both my parents this year — my dad in February from pneumonia, and my mother in April from a cerebral hemorrhage. They belonged to the same parish for more than 50 years, and I was continuing the tradition up until recently. I plan to live in their home after it's fixed up. The home is next to a parking lot owned by the church. The lot is very small (25 feet wide) and was once occupied by a single family home. The church and its school also use the lot as a playground and that is where the problem lies. The kids play ball and the ball hits my home, and I am sure it will break a window. It hits my new side door and old awning. I tallked with the school principal who would not help me and she told me the children will play ball in that lot. I called the parish priest and he said he would talk with her. Well, a few days later I called him again to tell him nothing had changed and he told me I have to deal with the principal, that he can do nothing. I pleaded with him to stop the ball playing and have the children play other types of games. He still would not help me. When I told him he seems to have forgotten all the years of faithful membership, he still would not help me. I told him I am upset and sad to the point of ending my membership in this parish and he didn't even try to talk me out of it. So I did quit. I believe my request to protect my property is not too much to ask. Right now I feel sad, insulted and angry. I don't know how to proceed, but the problem won't go away if I don't resort to legal means. Any ideas would be most helpful as I tried to deal with the problem through the chain of command but to no avail.

I'm just recovering from an emotional and physical illness that lasted for over 25 yrs. At 65 I have been married for 45 yrs. w/6 children and 12 grandchildren. We met in high school at 17 and feel in love; got pregnant at 19; married at 19 and I became Catholic to my Irish Catholic husband. Being confirmed Episcopalian this was an easy transition. I've always felt blessed to be Catholic. After 10 yrs. of marriage we had a spiritual renewal that healed our then troubled marriage and gave us a devotion to the Holy Spirit through the help of the new Catholic Charismatic Renewal. We became leaders in our parish and of our prayer group by 1974. After my sixth child; three miscarriages and a series of huge tragedies and losses this once devout mother is recovering from what was thought as bipolar II and now with hopefully a recovery of a few months my new doctors say I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Fibromyalgia; w/ migraines 3 or 4 times a week. I became severely depressed and eventually felt suicidal. I went to a series of doctors plus therapy and marriage counciling. My husbands faith stayed sold but my illness and the many disasters and losses caused a chemical imbalance that distroyed my faith. Is I am coming out of this "brain frog" my faith is just beginning to come back. I would like to help others again but I'm still weak from this long and deeply disturbing experiences. I had a small prayer and healing ministry for many yrs. before these problems developed but now I"ve become humbled again and again and have questions. I had a devout faith. I thought I could be strong through anything but I couldn't once my mind was changed chemically after traumas and illnesses. My husband was able to remain faithful and well how ever his prayerful responses seemed neurotic and I began not to trust his prayers because they brought these tragedies on our family. Here's the heart of my questioning faith.