Empowered and Honored



The challenges and barriers to creating change in my community are currently very personal in nature. Due to a family health crisis, my life changed drastically beginning in August 2010 when I became a full-time caregiver to two different family members. Fortunately, they are both doing better now, and I am beginning to transition back to \"my life\", or more accurately, to determining what is to become of my life. What am I going to do with the gifts and talents I've been given? How am I going to make this world a kinder, safer and more joyous place for all?



This has been a devastatingly difficult year as well as a life-transforming one full of countless blessings and lessons learned. It makes me feel proud to know that I have given it my all and didn't hold back and retreat when the going was tough. It is still tough. Very. And I know that the World Pulse community is intimately aware with just how tough life can be.



Things would have turned out to be very different had it not been for the support my family received through online communities like www.facebook.com and sites like www.CaringBridge.org. Thanks to these sites, I was able to keep in touch with friends during many hospital stays and people that cared were able to send my family messages of encouragement that helped get us through the darkest of days. These sites made our life easier and helped us stay connected in circumstances that were very isolating.



The importance of having a support network was definitely highlighted by this recent experience, so I will be using PulseWire to expand and solidify connections with more women around the world who refuse to be stopped by hardship and who are committed to encouraging each other in creating a better life in spite of it.



My husband and I moved to a different city when we became caregivers and have been so so out of touch with everything that I'm just now starting to get to know my community and its needs. One way I'm connecting with people locally is through www.meetup.com.



And so, the main challenges I'm facing are exhaustion, both physical and emotional, as well as not being in tune with the needs of my community. While I desire with all my heart to contribute to my community, my very next step is to take some time to decompress and stabilize my finances so that I can then offer help from a place of fullness rather than lack.



Reading the stories (via PulseWire) of the courageous deeds women around the world are doing inspires me and gives me hope. It makes me feel empowered and honored to be one of many that are standing up and saying \"I have something to do in this world, and I WILL do it.\"

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