Things that have made you stronger

[lightningbolt44]

I got to thinking while I was typing a reply to a pm today for the Tell us about your neighbor thread about things that I have been through that have really made me a stronger person even though at the time they were extremely hard to go through.

It really helped me to think back about all that I have weathered in the past and really puts my "bad days" into perspective now.

I am curious if anyone else would like to share an experience that has made you a stronger person. I fully understand if no one wants to share as for some hard moments are not the best to think about. For me as I said it helps me realize that my current bad days don't hold a candle to certain things I have been through and really are not that bad.

The one that came to mind for me was the flooding of our house three years ago. It was our first house that my wife and I had owned. We had just got done paying the house off and a full remodel of the upstairs bathroom. Something as newlyweds that we could call our own and be proud of. A storm blew in one morning and flooded the River that was approx 1 mile from our home. I came home and was able to save some of our things but we lost a large amount. Including family pictures which was probably the hardest for my wife as both of her parents are no longer with us so she holds pictures very close to her heart. In the end we ended up having 6 ft of water on our first floor. I took a canoe to our house the following day to take a look at the damage

This is what ultimately lead to us moving to North Carolina. We left Binghamton to come to Raleigh with no jobs, family or friends here. We still owned the house but after gutting the first floor decided to take our loss and sell it as is. We had it for probably about six months while we were here but all worked out and it sold. We both found amazing jobs and have made some great friends. We could not be happier at this point in our lives and it all turned this direction ebcause of one of the hardest things we as a married couple has been through.

Going to share a few pictures with everyone. Thank you guys for letting me share and I hope others will do the same if they would like.

Getting the Carpet Out

The end result after gutting the first floor

 

[Six4three5]

Two things for me in my short lived 24 years.

When I was 9 years old it was January 8th 2000. 3 days after my brother had turned 17 he decided to take his own life. He was under the influence of alcohol when it happened and fighting with his girlfriend, when I was 9 years old I had no idea how to understand or comprehend it. I would be lying if I said I wasn't mad at him for doing it at the time, but now that I'm older and have life experience, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret feeling anger towards him for doing it. Obviously in his mind the situation whatever it may have been was so difficult he only had one way out. Which is never the case, committing suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It never gets easy and there isn't a day that I don't miss him, but I know how he would want me to live my life to the fullest and not hold anything back because of him.

4 years later on November 8th 2004 I was 14 years old and lost my mother to cancer. She had it once before, but beat it and was free and clear of all cancer until it came back, and won. She was the most amazing woman this world will ever see. Again being so young and having both of these things happen to me at a young age I felt as if I was being punished for something that I had no control over. Everyday that goes by I find myself thinking about both of them and what life would be like if they were still around. She as well would absolutely kill me if I didn't live my life to the fullest, or tried to use losing her as an excuse not to try my hardest and pursue my dreams.

A lot of people ask how I keep the outlook/mindset on life that I do, and it's simple for me. I want to be able to ask myself one simple question "Would Joey and Mom be proud of who I am and who I am becoming?" If I gave myself any answer other than yes they would be disappointed in me and that is something I refuse to let happen.

 

[Sox_Fan]

Thanks for sharing the stories guys.

I will share two things that were difficult for me to overcome but have made me stronger in the long run.

I was in college and was driving home with two of my buddies from a great night out with friends. Next thing I know a deer darts out in front of my Jeep and I ran off the road to avoid it. Unfortunately, I hit a bump or something off the road that sent us rolling 3 1/2 times. Fortunately, both of my buddies that were riding with me escaped with relatively minor injuries. I was not as fortunate as I had massive head injuries, 3 broken vertebrae in my neck and a shattered right wrist. The medics pronounced me unlikely to live after they arrived on the scene. I woke up 5 days later in intensive care and obviously did not know where I was or why I had a neck brace on, cast on my lower right arm, etc. Wore both for about 6 months as well as taking anti-seizure medicine for about 3 years. It was very humiliating for me not to be able to take a shower and do simple things like that for a few months. It was simply amazing how supportive and helpful my family and friends were during this time. I obviously had to drop out of college for what we were told would likely be permanently and was told I would likely have issues such as arthritist in my neck and right wrist throughout my life. I proved the doctors wrong by going back to college about 4 months after the accident and resumed playing golf one armed about the same time. This all likely would not have been possible without such a wonderful support system around me.

The other thing was the loss of my mother about a year and a half ago. She went from being a very healthy and active 68 year old woman one day to hitting a wall almost overnight and having very little energy. 6 months worth of running around between doctors administering test after test finally unfortunately concluded that she had ALS. I took her to Shans medical center in Gainesville, FL a few days after Christmas of 2011 to get one more expert opinion regarding her condition. They also concurred with the ALS diagnosis. Her health rapidly eroded over the next 10 months until she passed away a couple of weeks after her 70th birthday. Thankfully, she did not suffer through any body part paralysis that is very common with the disease and was at peace with her passing. There has not been a day go by, and I'm sure there never will be, that I have not thought about her and everything she sacrificed and did for me and our family. She was truly a remarkable woman. This event definitely taught me not to take anything for granted as life can change drastically in the blink of an eye.

 

[Trout Bum]

Nice thread LB, we all come from different paths and difficult times.

When I was a kid my mom married a guy that was a Korean war vet and an alcoholic, he would get drunk and threaten our lives and even chased me through the neighborhood with a rifle trying to kill me because he thought I was the enemy. I look back on it on occasion and think about the crap my mom endured while married to that effing loon and when I got a little older it helped me to realize that some people have some serious struggles in life and it's best to offer help rather than criticism.

I've had quite a few in my life, first was a life filled with addiction. If it got you high I was on it and if it got you drunk I was drinking it, I was a very serious addict and at 22 was near death as a result of it, I entered a treatment facility for the 6th time and finally something clicked. During that time I had lost the majority of my friends to addiction and for a long time I had survivors guilt but there is a reason I'm here.

My struggles fail in comparison to many but I can assure you that for every curse I've had, I've had a thousand blessings.