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Detours Are Temporary

In Death Valley, California, there is a place known as Dante's View.
From there you can look down to the lowest spot in the United States,
a depression in the earth 200 feet below sea level called Bad Water.
But you can also look up to the highest peak in the continental U. S.,
Mt. Whitney, which rises to a height of 14,500 feet.
Our lives also bring us to such places
where we can either journey into the depths of despair and depression,
or rise to incredible heights --
depending on the direction we head.
Yet, the mountaintop may not be where we want to reside, either.
In a letter to a suicidal person, Al Hillman shared some exquisite wisdom:
"Sheila, I know all too well the battle you are engaged in.
You see, I spent many years in the deep, dark valleys of mental illness.
Most (people) want to be on the mountain top.
I don't.
I have climbed mountains up to 17,000 feet.
Not a pleasant place to be. Bitterly cold, roaring winds, nothing grows there.
Just snow, ice and rocks. Very uncomfortable.
Even the view is dismal, for all one can see is clouds.
"I have also been in the deep,
dark valleys where the walls are so steep that nothing grows;
there is complete darkness, and one is all alone.
A terrifying place to be.
"I enjoy being in the valley (with) the green pastures
and (where) the streams are gentle and calm...
" Naturally, there are often valid medical reasons for mood shifts and depression.
And it may require all of our resources
to climb back out of our private "Bad Water":
support from the medical community, friends and family,
as well as our spiritual resources.
We are not alone.
But I also like the counsel of Abraham Lincoln,
who was similarly afflicted. In a letter to a friend, he once wrote:
"You cannot now believe that you will ever feel better.
But this is not true.
You are sure to be happy again.
Knowing this, truly believing it, will make you less miserable now."
This, too, passes and you will one day rest again in the bliss of the green valley
It is true that few of us seem to stay in that peaceful valley for long.
But, as someone aptly said,
"The truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on detour."
Detours, after all, are temporary.

http://www.lifesupportsystem.com/

DS 3/8/2000

I recieved this in my e-mail everyday. It is a great way to start the day.
It is something how some days the message is just what I need to hear.
To know I am not alone in lifes ups and downs...