"Everyone feels vulnerability in the face of cataclysmic loss" writes Jerry White in a book I will not be Broken.
I do not know of a person that rejoices in crises let alone being in a vulnerable situation. I have been in touch with Dan Sevilla and he challenged me to consider the book just mentioned.
The picture here is of Maira in Columbia who was affected by a bomb when she was nine. It took twelve days for her to to the hospital where she could help.
In the book Jerry shares stories with survivor friends and lessons for the journey. He says:
Jerry White, a cofounder of Survivor Corps, an organization that helps victims of war and terror. Our mission, and my passion, is to help survivors heal and get on with their lives. Sounds simple, but in many places where we work, the idea of overcoming doesn’t always resonate.
He writes about himself
His trip to Cambodia in 1996 challenged him heavily as he saw "amputees literally on every other corner."
Jerry shares a story that led to the founding of Survivorcorps.
He further writes that:
This sounds to be a very promising book. I should admit that though I have not read the whole book (I am under extreme pressure to survive writing...-will disclose later), I sense the book has inspiring stories that would give someone some needed strength or perspective on life as we survive.
Of course for me I wish the book clearly advocated for God's help in life because human strength alone is not adequate. I strongly believe that survivorship is not complete without God and in any case our simple survivorship is simply a foretaste of what we really need to be. We need to be thriving and not surviving. Suffice to say that Jerry raises the five important steps to overcoming a life crisis and these are:
I do not know of a person that rejoices in crises let alone being in a vulnerable situation. I have been in touch with Dan Sevilla and he challenged me to consider the book just mentioned.
The picture here is of Maira in Columbia who was affected by a bomb when she was nine. It took twelve days for her to to the hospital where she could help.
In the book Jerry shares stories with survivor friends and lessons for the journey. He says:
"maybe your own survivorship path will begin. Over the past twenty years, I have met and talked ‘survival’ with everyone from the famous—Diana, Princess of Wales, Elie Wiesel, King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan, John McCain, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lance Armstrong—and the not so famous but equally strong—Katie, Ken, Elizabeth, Colleen and others. Each has something to teach us. They don’t just get by. They thrive. That’s what I aspire to do."
Jerry White, a cofounder of Survivor Corps, an organization that helps victims of war and terror. Our mission, and my passion, is to help survivors heal and get on with their lives. Sounds simple, but in many places where we work, the idea of overcoming doesn’t always resonate.
He writes about himself
I came to this work as a result of big and small things that happened to me over the
course of my life. One of the biggest happened on April 12, 1984. I was twenty years
old, and I stepped on a landmine during a camping trip in Israel. Physically, it took a
part of my leg. But, it also divided my life in two—everything became either before or
after the accident.
His trip to Cambodia in 1996 challenged him heavily as he saw "amputees literally on every other corner."
Jerry shares a story that led to the founding of Survivorcorps.
As I walked along the streets of Phnom Penh, a little girl hopped up to me. She couldn’t have been more than eight or nine years old, clearly not a former combatant in the wars of Cambodia. She smiled broadly at me, pointed at my $17,000 prosthetic leg and said, “You are one of us.” She leaned on her homemade crutch and I realized she was right. I asked myself what I could do to help support that little girl and the hundreds of thousands like her—people who, through no fault of their own, had slammed into some kind of horrible date with destiny. I had strength; maybe I could give some of it to others and help them on their journey to recovery. So I began to
build a support network for survivors. My thought was: We have all been through
various struggles, so let’s lend our support and strength to each other.
He further writes that:
The good news is we are not alone. We are surrounded by survivors who have gone
before us, and their examples will help mark the way forward. Their experiences show us that, with the right support, everyone can recover and thrive. As we overcome hardship, there is laughter and hope and love waiting for each of us. But it is crucial for us to want those things. Frankly, I have always craved those things. And life has treated me pretty well.
This sounds to be a very promising book. I should admit that though I have not read the whole book (I am under extreme pressure to survive writing...-will disclose later), I sense the book has inspiring stories that would give someone some needed strength or perspective on life as we survive.
Of course for me I wish the book clearly advocated for God's help in life because human strength alone is not adequate. I strongly believe that survivorship is not complete without God and in any case our simple survivorship is simply a foretaste of what we really need to be. We need to be thriving and not surviving. Suffice to say that Jerry raises the five important steps to overcoming a life crisis and these are:
- Facing facts where one must accept harsh reality about suffering and loss, however brutal.
- Choosing life that is "to say yes to the future" and on in a positive way.
- Reaching out to those in similar crises.
- Get moving because "sitting back gets you nowhere".
- Giving back. "Thriving, not just surviving, requires the capacity to give again, through service and acts of kindness."
These are the five tips that are expounded in the book I will not be Broken which is a strong determination of a life that wants to live above crises. Will you?
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