And That's Okay

by Hélène

Thursday 16th January 2025 4:40 pm

If someone you love is mentally ill and miserable beyond words...

If someone you love is so depressed they can't get out of bed...

If someone you love is addicted and living on the streets...

And on and on...

Where is the line between choice and incapacity to choose?

Is linear cause and effect at times a fruitless inquiry?

Does help arise from interior transformation?

Does help arrive from sources unexpected?

Are miracles possible?

Does death sometimes arrive as a gift?

Can humans gaze without judgment?

Unanswered questions, and that's okay.

We dig into patience

We drop into love

We say yes to acceptance

We say yes to hope

We say yes to miracles

And we set it all aside and carry on

Comments

Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Fri 17th Jan 2025 19:54

Apologies!
I forgot to mention that the method for typing accents is for when typing within a WORD document.

Hélène

Fri 17th Jan 2025 17:02

Thanks all for kind comments. Yes, this poem was born of the sorrow so many of us feel when we are helpless to help our suffering loved ones who don't accept help, or the help they receive doesn't work or last. My heart & mind get tired of trying to figure it out...gotta let it go....(writing poems helps me!) Marla & Uilleam you are so sweet to think of my accent marks (& everyone else on WOL who inputs them). My long deceased French-Canadian (Québecois) dad would so appreciate this! Truth be told, adult-me (living in California, USA) mostly goes by Helene for ease of communication. (I was born in Québec but grew up in Calif.; childhood-me dutifully used Hélène as my parents named me until I got my first post-college job). So no worries Marla; Helene is me too! (On my cell phone when I type, I just hold down the "e" key & up pops both "é" & "è.")

Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Fri 17th Jan 2025 11:13

Thanks Hélène.
It’s horrible to see someone suffering, especially from something like alcohol addiction. Within the span of two years I've seen an aquaintance, a lovely happy person turn into a helpless wreck: thank goodness she's now accepted professional help and appears to be happier.

Marla Joy; about accents, this can be confusing, and it depends what design of keyboard you have, but on my laptop keyboard:
1. to write acute accent é:
whilst pressing CTRL, type apostrophe, release CTRL then type letter e

2. to write grave accent è:
to the left of number 1, there’s a key with three symbols, one of which is the grave accent `.
Whilst pressing CTRL, press that key, release CTRL, then type the letter e
I hope I’ve got that correct, and that it’s of use to you.

Marla Joy

Thu 16th Jan 2025 23:21

Helene ( I can't seem to get the accent marks right)
This is a deeper, more somber poem and I like it very much.
Marla

Rolph David

Thu 16th Jan 2025 18:55

Hélène,
Your poem really strikes a chord with me. I also know someone who’s addicted to alcohol AND suffers from MS, and it’s incredibly tough. He rejects every offer of help, trampling them underfoot, and it’s hard to feel any sympathy when help is constantly rejected and cancelled out. It’s so frustrating. How do you deal with it sensibly when someone in such a difficult situation simply doesn’t want to be the center of attention or accept help? Your words on patience and love really hit home—though it’s hard, I think they’re all we can try to hold on to in these circumstances.

Take care,
Rolph

Yanma Hidayah

Thu 16th Jan 2025 18:43

I love how your reflection led to 'Does death sometimes arrive as a gift?' after "Are miracles possible?". It is a profound reflection, and it takes great wisdom to reach that. Thank you, Hélène, for sharing such a deep reflection.

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And That's Okay

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