This Is A Sincere "Thank You" To A Forum Member

[Grama-Herc]

After being in this forum for almost 2 years and watching people come and go, crash and burn, loose it and get it back, I don't think I have ever had anyone touch me as much as I was touched this morning by one of you.

A simple sentence made me feel more welcome than I have felt during my entire time here. I have been helped and encouraged by many, many people, and hope I have been able to do the same. But this simple sentence has meant more to me than anything that anybody has ever said.

I am going to thank this person privately, but I just had to let everyone know what just a small act of kindness can do and how much help it can be when one of us is hurting.

A lot of people would looked at what was said and NOT see what I saw. And I think a lot of people would never think to say what was said. It is nothing deep or intense, but the impact it had on me was huge.

Thank you to this person for making me feel more welcome here than anyone else ever has. I thank you for making me feel seen, heard and cared about. I thank you for acknowledging me.

 

[cragger65]

This has gotten me incredibly curious. I sense you don't want to mention who, but would you even care to share what they said, or the gist of it. You've gotten my curiousity piqued now! I love a positive story.

 

[Grama-Herc]

Cragger aka Dave

In my diary, Pandora said that she had just read my entire diary! A very simple sentence and to most people it would not even be noticed as anything important.
But to me, it validated my existence. To think that someone took the time to actually read my entire diary-----Well, words failed me right now!

HA! I made a funny. Anyone who knows me knows that I am RARELY at a loss for words.

Anyway, having my diary read just meant so much to me. It's like I exist. I matter. Someone "saw" me! I am not invisible!

I hope this explains the intense affect this simple sentence had on me. Who knows, had Pandora said this 6 months ago maybe it would not have had the same affect on me........but it certinly moved me now.

 

[pandora]

Reading the other diaries herc..yours and others helps me feel so not alone and to know that there are people out there, like me that are trying to learn to live with ptsd too and that there are ways to live with this. It inspires me to read about how much one person (alot of us here) have endured in a lifetime. I am amazed by how strong people are here and we should be proud of ourselves for being so strong! I am glad I made your day herc....you made mine too and you made me smile. So I send you back a very sincere...You are welcome!

I know some people find that it is too hard to read other diaries...for me it has kind of been like exposure therapy when I read something similar that I have survived..I am also triggered alot when reading. This has only helped me to heal and face the problems in my past all the while not feeling so alone.
Take Care....
I hope I make a difference again one day!

 

[Grama-Herc]

Pandora

Make a difference again one day? YOU WILL!

 

[pandora]

I sure hope so...i keep thinking there must be a reason why GOD or whoever the higher power is that any or all of us beleive that for all of the trials and tribulations and road blocks I have been through and a lot of traumas....making me the person I am now. I want to make a difference in others lives...even if right now the only way is in cyberspace!!!!!

 

[Grama-Herc]

I feel the same way. There has to be a reason for all this!

 

[Deaf Global Nomad]

I Wholeheartedly Agree!

Hello there to all!

Thank you for making this thread public! I definitely agree with all of the things you have all mentioned. This forum is definitely a very special place (thank you, Anthony!) with very special people (all of you!). Every time I log on and read, which is significantly more often than I post because I cannot respond on my hand-held device for some reason, I feel this warmth and understanding (this for someone who struggles even identifying feelings, smile). Yes, it is cyberspace, but caring people are still behind all the words and experiences. All of you make a difference!

These are my two cents on a thread which did not even involve me... Sorry!

Deaf Global Nomad and Pup

 

[2quilt]

Oh, I must stick my two cents in here too. All Of this getting together and making this website work and meeting each other and all our human experiences that made us who we are today was done by a bunch of humans. I certainly don't have any dieties creating my experiences.

 

[cragger65]

I feel like we should all cyber-hug now.... awwh :)

 

[cragger65]

I re-read this thread tonight, to remind me that where we are at in recovery changes, if we are willing to change. And as Pandora says, sometimes it is just too hard for myself or others to read in depth diary entries. When you're already down, I set out thinking, "I would feel better about myself - even just a little bit - if I could contribute something useful to someone else's experience of life. Often, this is just letting someone know that we are reading, and we do want them to feel, and get, better. But if I'm not careful, and don't use clear judgement of where I'm at at the moment, it can cause me to sink like a stone. It's not a lack of caring or compassion, just a temporary reality, until you find your way back to a better space.

That support has been offered to me so many times, even when I felt that I was just being a pathetic, self-pittying "loser" (my own view of myself) and that I did not deserve it. But I know there is something better in me, and in all of us, I just have to continue to work at unearthing it, and then excercising it. Excercise is not just for the body, it is for the mind, heart and spirit as well. As Anthony so eloquently put it in another thread, "We CAN'T fail if we are willing to try, and fall down, and then try again", or words to that effect. I believe this to be true.

Thanks for this thread Grama-Herc, it has helped me too, to recognize that with time and improvement, good things can find their way past the barriers we've put up within ourselves, and help us to open, and to heal.

Excellent stuff,
Dave


PS. I apologize if my previous entry seemed trite to anyone, but in particular yourself Grama-Herc. That is my typical knee-jerk reaction to attempt to break the ice with humour whenever things get too "real". I'm glad I recogize that now, even if it is in hind-sight. Please accept my apology.

 

[ISupportHer]

This thread reinforces one of my basic beliefs about this forum. That you never know when some little comment or nugget of information will just go to your core and be something that helps you so much. All it takes is a kind word sometimes. Sometimes all it takes is a stern word. Same with life in general, I guess.

ISH