catherine-morgan.com

This is a re-write from something I wrote back in January 2007…

Finding Empowerment Through Adversity

When we are suffering it is very difficult, if not impossible, to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  But it is there.  We will get through it.  And in time, our wounds really will be healed.

Can something good come out of adversity?  Often in the face of adversity, we are unable to see anything through our pain.  The only thing we can think about are questions.  Why is this happening to me?  How will I go on?  How will I survive?

Although we may want to, we should not turn away from our pain.  It is very important that we feel all of our feelings during these times of adversity and heartache.  Denying our pain, or denying our feelings, will not benefit us in any way.  In fact, it will likely prolong our troubles.  But if we look at our situation, and face our problems head-on…we will triumph.

We may sometimes feel like we are losing the battle; but when we push through the battle, we come out on the other side the winner of the war.  That’s because we are empowered when we conquer life’s toughest battles.  Only at these times of empowerment do we grow into the people we are meant to be.  Think about that for a minute.  Who would you be right now, if it wasn’t for the adversity you have been through in your life?

For me personally, I wish I had never had to go through many of the painful events of my life – loss, divorce, illness, betrayal, just to name a few.  But I also know that I would not be the woman I am today, had I not.  My past heartache and my past pain, are what make me the compassionate person that I am today.  And in retrospect, I don’t think I would want to be the kind of person who knows no hardships.  It is because of these hardships that I appreciate every thing I have, even the little things, the things that many people often take for granted.

I can now see that my past adversity, has truly been a blessing in my life.  And although I don’t look forward to future adversity, I do know it will come.  And when it does come, I will have the knowledge of my past strengths to help me overcome, and once again triumph.

My hope for everyone, is that they are able to one day look past their pain, to find their empowerment.

I’m honored to be a member of the American Cancer Society’s Blogger Advisory Council, a small group of volunteers that advises the Society on its social media strategy.   Part of our mission is to help spread the word that we have power in the fight against cancer.  And our first step is to build awareness and encourage women to get involved.  Because…Visibility equals power! So we have started a blog “chain” to spread the word among women bloggers. We call it Bloggers for More Birthdays.

You can help…Join Bloggers for More Birthdays by dedicating a blog post to someone you love who’s been affected by cancer.  It’s a simple way to celebrate those you love.  Just write a post (like I’ve done here), host our badge, and know that whatever you write, you are helping to raise awareness and inspiring others to join American Cancer Society in the fight against cancer.

My contribution to this effort is about an angel named Becky…

Becky was my best friend.  A wonderful mother.  And a great mom-mom.  Even though she’s been gone for over seven years, a day rarely goes by that I don’t think of her and wish she were here.  Time has helped to replace some of my grief with many lovely memories, but it hasn’t healed my anger towards the disease that took her from us.  Cancer.

I hate cancer, and I hate that my friend didn’t get a chance to be a survivor.   Why her?  She deserved to be a survivor, she deserved to have more birthdays.  She fought this disease with every ounce of strength she had, but in the end cancer took away every ounce of strength she had.

Although I’m angry, I’m also grateful for the time I did have Becky in my life.  She was there for me during some very tough times.  I know I’m who I am today, partly because of her influence in my life.  I only wish I was able to thank her for that.

No matter how much time goes by, I will never forget the angel she was…and still is.

If you’ve posted, let The American Cancer Society know so they can feature it!  Just put a link to your post in the comments section here, or email your post to bloggersubmit@officialbirthdayblog.com.  You’ll be showing your support for More Birthdays and bring visibility to your blog.

This is a movie I remember watching when I was very young. I always thought it was called Shangri La.

Here is the movie in its entirety.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE MOVIE – Lost Horizon (1937)

[cross-posted at Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself]

I love this…I thought you might like it too.

This is something I wrote almost a year ago, and I thought it would be nice to include it here.

WHO WILL “STAND BY YOU”? — by Catherine Morgan

One of my favorite songs to listen to is, “I’ll Stand By You” by the Pretenders — you can play the song at the bottom of this post. I was listening to it today in the car (while riding home from my mammogram). I began to think about how nice it is to know that someone will “stand by you” no matter what. As a mom, I will “stand by” my kids no matter what…I think they know that (especially since I play the song all the time and tell them). The song always makes me think about how lucky people are when they know (really know) that they have someone who will “stand by them” no matter what.

Sometimes when we are feeling down, and life isn’t going our way, and we feel all alone…..That’s the time we find out who will “stand by us”. It’s sad in a way, that it takes tragedy, or pain to find out who the people in our life are that will “stand by us”, even in our darkest hours. The people who are like angels on earth to us–Connie. The people who were like angels on earth to us–Becky. The people that pick us up when we feel like we are in a never ending free fall of grief–Dawny. The people who save us when we just want to die–Vicki. The people who support us when we can barley support ourselves–Frances Ellen. I feel sad for the people who have perfect lives and never get to really find out who these people are in their lives. It is truly the one great blessing that comes out of our heartache and pain.

Thats all, just something to think about.

image from

HOW WE CAN CREATE PEACE AND LOVE IN OUR LIVES – BY LETTING GO OF ANGER AND HATE – by Catherine Morgan

If we wish peace for ourselves, me must first wish peace for others. How do we do that? I think a good place to start is to take “hate” out of our thoughts and mind. It’s easy to say you’re not a hater, but to truly live a life without hating is not that easy. Here are a few suggestions….

1. Start with yourself. Stop hating yourself. Stop hating your weight, your looks, your job, your face, your inabilities, and on and on. This first step might be the most difficult, but it is also the most important. Learn to love yourself.

2. Stop hating the uncontrollable situations in your life. Things like; the traffic, the news, the bills, the check-out girl, any circumstance in your life that makes you angry but that you have no control over.

You can be conscious of your emotions at these times. When you feel yourself getting impatient in a traffic jam, use this time to reflect on your need to learn how to be more patient. Realize that this hold-up may actually keep you from being in an accident yourself, acknowledge that traffic isn’t the enemy unless you let it be. Do this type of refection with all the uncontrollable inconveniences that you hate in your life. Take some time to reflect, see the uselessness in your anger.

Read more »

How We Can Empower Our Children By Empowering Ourselves — by Catherine Morgan

I wanted to write a post about children today, but I wasn’t sure how to start it. Then I remembered how about 12 years ago (shortly after I had my second child), I was driving to my job, and I heard a song on the radio that really resonated with me. The song was called “The Greatest Love Of All – by Whitney Houston”. At the time, it made me feel like I finally understood what my purpose was in life, and I felt empowered by it. I needed to become strong, and confident, and fearless. I needed to be empowered enough to step out of my comfort zone, and become the women I was meant to be. I needed to become the kind of person that I wanted my children to become. Let me share some of those thoughts with you now.

I believe the children are our are future…..Teach them well and let them lead the way — We have such a great responsibility as mothers, not just to our children but to the world. Because, what we teach our children, is what the world will be someday. And, don’t we all want the world to be a wonderful place for our children? The future truly is our children.

Show them all the beauty they possess inside…..Give them a sense of pride – We need to teach our children that their beauty is from within, and help them to develop and cultivate a strong sense of who they are.

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyones shadows — Showing our children that they are strong enough to walk alone, and not limit themselves to someone else’s dreams. To recognize when they are emotionally trapped, and not to fear escaping once they do.

If I fail, if I succeed……At least I live as I believe — Teach our children to never give up on their dreams, and to not let fear stand in the way of being who they are.

No matter what they take from me….They cant take away my dignity — Show our children that no matter how bad life gets, or how bad others treat them, that the core of who they are is never broken.

I found the greatest love of all…..Inside of me — Love is the greatest of all things, and something no one can ever take from us. Because, love is who we are and what we are, so love is always with us.

The greatest love of all….Is easy to achieve….Learning to love yourself….It is the greatest love of all — Show our children that taking care of themselves, and loving who they are, is a gift they need to give to themselves. And, is a gift no other person can ever take from them.

And if by chance, that special place….That you’ve been dreaming of….Leads you to a lonely place….Find your strength in love — Teach our children that even when they are feeling hopeless and unhappy, they are still strong and have the power to follow their heart on to another dream.

These are lessons we teach not with words, but with our actions. So, we need to believe these words for ourselves, and live these words for ourselves. When our children see us being strong, they will know they can also be strong. When our children see that we can love ourselves, then they will learn to love themselves. When our children see us fail but never give-up, they will learn to never give-up. The greatest gift we can give our children, is for us to be, everything we hope they will become.

If You Want To Attract Love, Be A Loving Person — by Catherine Morgan

Did you ever notice that angry people tend to attract other angry people? That greedy people, enjoy the company of other greedy people? Just like we choose to associate with people in our lives that have similar interests as we do, we are also unconsciously choosing people that are putting out that same emotional “frequency” as we do.

So, who cares? Well, you should. That is; if you are interested in “attracting” people into your life that are kind, caring, and loving, and not angry, bitter, and hateful.

It’s all about awareness. If you are attracting negative people into your life, it is most likely that you are putting out negative “energy”, and you are most likely doing that because you are feeling negative “emotions”. If you are aware of that, you can work on putting out more positive energy, by choosing to feel more positive emotions. It’s really very simple.

Read more »