Walking in the dark

When I was working at a camp in the states my little cabin used to be on the other side of a long wooden bridge. During the day it was a gorgeous bridge surrounded by forest and snuggled right in the middle of a beautiful covering of trees. If you were quiet enough you could quite often spot a deer or other small wildlife wandering underneath and around it. However at night it was like a completely different bridge. A lantern would sometimes be placed on a hook halfway along the bridge but if the lantern wasn’t there you were in complete darkness and could not see from one end of the bridge to the other. The same sounds which in the day were mesmerizing and tranquil at night time seemed discomforting and eerie.
　
Some people refused to walk over that bridge by themselves and to be honest I didn’t blame them. I always tried to play tough and pretend that bridge didn’t phase me but truth be told, if I didn’t have my torch or a lantern, I would get scared. It was when I was in complete darkness that I would start to freak out.
Usually all I needed to do to fix the problem was stop being lazy and go and get a lantern from the dinning hall, (which isn’t far from the bridge) or to wait for somebody to cross with me.

Lately I have realised that I have an issue with feeling like I need to be in control. I say that I believe in God and his plan for my life, the desires and dreams he has placed in my heart, but the moment I feel like something isn’t going according to plan, I start to worry.
For the first 4 weeks after the earthquake I was waiting to find out what was happening with my course and my job. I think for the first time, I truly learnt what it is to be patient and to trust. I had to believe that even though I felt like I was in the dark and had no idea what was going to happen, whether I would still have a job, or if my course would still go ahead, that it would all work out.
Now you may wonder how the bridge relates to what I’m talking about, but the analogy that comes with that story has been a big revelation for me.

Sometimes we get so caught up on thinking that to get somewhere, we have to go a certain way and take a certain amount of time to get there, that we often don’t realise, we are still walking that same route, starting at the same place and finishing at the same destination. It just might look a little different getting there.

One night I didn’t have a lantern with me, but I decided that I wasn’t going to let this bridge freak me out anymore. I confidently held my head up high and instead of running across it, calmly walked from one side to the other, praying in my head and believing that I would get to the other side ok.
I, of course, got to the other side of the bridge and came out of the situation feeling better about myself for not letting worry or fear take over me.Sometimes we spend so long worrying about the little things, fretting over them, losing sleep and moaning about them, instead of just dealing with the problem. Too often we give the problem priority instead of the solution.

Im slowly learning what it is to not need to feel in control and to be able let go.
What are the things in your life that you don’t like feeling in the dark about?

Because maybe sometimes we just need to be prepared to embrace the "darkness" and keep walking.


Katie D

 (the Bridge at camp)

Laughter

Over the last few years, I have learnt the importance of laughter. It's amazing how it can turn your attitude around and change your perspective. My friends and I are professionals at laughing with and at each other. I have also leant the importance of being able to laugh at myself and being able to laugh in the middle hard times. I try to find something fun, or worth laughing at daily. Luckily with the wonderfully, crazy company I keep, this is not usually hard. Laughing helps to lighten the load and lift your spirit.

 　

A man isn't poor if he can still laugh.

~Raymond Hitchcock~

Laughter is the corrective force which prevents us from becoming cranks.

 ~Henri Bergson~

 Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.

 ~Victor Hugo~

Carry laughter with you wherever you go.

 ~Hugh Sidey~

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.

~e.e. cummings~

This one is for my friends, the reasons for lots of my smiles.

Keep smiling and do something that makes you laugh today

Katie D

　

You're the best You

My lovely workmate and friend Megan was my Secret (or not so secret) Santa at our work Christmas party. She gave me a calendar that every day has a new uplifting quote. I am a visual person, so I have photos, quotes and things that inspire me, plastered all over my room, so this calender fits in perfectly.

The one for today made me smile, so I thought I would share it on here.

Don't change who you are to fit in with how other people want you to be. You're at your best when you're being the REAL you.

Thanks Meegs :)

Katie D

My first ever blog

I will start by saying straight forward, I am not a writer.
However, this whole idea of blogging fascinates me. Over the last few months, as I have begun to follow a few different blogs more closely, I have been inspired. Several different things have intrigued me, the main one being how connected you can feel to somebody, through realising that they are going through and experiencing something similar to you. This can allow you to feel like you are not alone, not the only one with all the crazy ramblings and thoughts going around in your head.

The name of my blog is Echo of Hope, it has several meanings to me so take from it what you will.

I was busing to work one day last year listening to some music. I was thinking of a girl Echo who I had met and been a counselor for when I did a summer camp in the United States. This is when the name popped into my head.
I won't go into her story because it is hers to tell not mine. What I will tell you, is that I met a young teenage girl who has been through too many hard times, a lot of disappointment and a lifetime worth of pain. However, underneath all of this is an amazing, special and talented girl who is resilient and keeps going no matter what tries to knock her down. I am lucky enough to still be in contact with her and although we don’t talk as much as I would like, I often think about her.

Her nickname is Echo. The definition of Echo is something that leaves a lingering trace or effect, this is exactly what this girl did for me.
One of the definitions and my favorite for Hope; the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best

I don’t have a clue what I’m going to write in here. It may be humorous, it may be serious, it may be a waste of time, but it’s my prayer that maybe for even just one person it might make you smile, bring some light into a rubbish day, it may even leave a lingering feeling that everything will work out for the best. An Echo of Hope inside.

This one is for you Echo

Katie D