A
little while ago I had a small accident and cut my leg, which has given me a
great deal of pain. It is taking a long time to heal and testing my patience! One
evening it was particularly troubling me when I was watching on television such
an inspiring programme about the work Prince Harry is doing to encourage
wounded servicemen and women to take part in sport, in spite of their injuries.
As
many will know, he has set up a five-day event beginning this week, which is
called the Invictus Games. Wounded servicemen and women from 14 nations are
competing in different sporting events. Prince Harry’s encouragement is making a
huge difference. To quote a newspaper article: ‘Public support has always been there’, says a competitor Andy Grant.
‘But Harry’s backing has taken it to another level.’ The ex-Marine chose to
have his leg amputated rather than live with a debilitating limp after being
injured by an IED in Afghanistan in 2009, and says sport has played a huge part
in his recovery. ‘The first time I ran again, I felt like I was flying,’ says
Andy, 26. ‘It spurred me on. The thought of sport always provided the light at
the end of the tunnel and taking part in the Invictus Games is the pinnacle of
what I’ve achieved. It justifies my decision to have my leg amputated.’
Reading
and hearing these amazing stories in spite of terrible injuries, really put my
little injury in perspective! I find it so inspiring to hear these stories of
courage and also realise the bravery of not only the wounded person but all
their close family, as together they have to face a completely new life.
With
the understanding which White Eagle’s teaching brings us, we know that ‘Nothing
happens out of order or by chance’, and that all the difficulties are actually
opportunities to grow and serve and move forward in new ways. This thought was
reinforced for me whilst watching parts of our UK Great North Run taking place
this past weekend in Manchester. So many were running for charities and running
because they had been touched in some way by a close one’s illness or death.
This suffering had encouraged them to give everything they could in personal
effort to help relieve others’ suffering. This is indeed a wonderful way in
which communication works: we know what is going on for other people, and shows
us that the new age urge for brotherhood and working together with others is
unfolding in the human spirit.
As
I listen and read these things, I see the shining Star touching people’s hearts
and minds, and encouraging new things to unfold through the darkness.
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PS. After writing the above, I have been having
an early morning walk around our Temple cross-within-the-circle field. It is an
exquisite Autumn morning, with the sun breaking through the early mist. White
Eagle was very close as I walked and I heard him saying to me, ‘Don’t forget, every cloud has a silver
lining’. This is a message for us all I think as we face the challenges and
difficulties in our personal lives. There is always something that we can learn
and gain through the experience—the gift of silver, which blends with the gold
of the joy that follows as we move through the difficult time.
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