encourage others

I found out recently that a 26-year-old cousin has 4th stage melanoma; it is all over her body so it isn’t operable. She started treatment this week. I’m going to do my best to encourage her and keep her spirits up. I don’t know how well it will work, but I’ve got to try.

It also helps take my mind of my own troubles, which is a good thing. I need to think of others more, and myself less. (Mind you, not to the point of neglecting myself by any means, but sometimes you need to put your troubles aside and encourage others – if that makes any sense.)

I was feeling rather discouraged. Anyway, I’ve thought about it and I realized that it may help me to focus on others and less on myself. Maybe that’s one thing I can do to help get myself out of the “blues” when I am suffering from them. So…back on the list this goes!

But it is hard to do this when you’re discouraged yourself. Sigh. I know things will get better; I’ll add it back to my list when I get through this rough patch of my own.

She has a son who is a senior in high school, and he’s decided that he doesn’t see the point in his classes. Consequently, he’s not going. He almost failed out last year and he’s working on it again this year. She’s at her wits’ end. I’m doing my best to help her keep her chin up, but it is hard. I live in a different part of the state, but I am going to make more of a point of staying in touch with her.