OPPORTUNITY

By Diane Forrest

My life has certainly not been a very easy one.  In 1985 I dropped out of nursing school because I "fell in love" got married and got pregnant a month later.  At the time I was young stupid and thought that was the life I wanted.  8 months later I was separated, jobless and about to give birth. Alone.  I thought that was the worst time in my life.   I moved home with my mother and father, and my baby boy, returned to school, became involved in many activities, ended up being the class president at my college, class president in my nursing class, started writing on my college paper, even won an award.  Life was good.  I finished school and got one of the few jobs available at the local hospital.  I moved out on my on, I met a new man, I worked two jobs I was very blessed.  Until five months after I was married, my husband got hurt on the job, ending up being paralyzed.  A year later, I lost my job due to downsizing.  I quickly found another job, but had to resign when my husband could no longer be left at home on his own.  We had no money, no jobs, and bills piling up.

Then.  My husband got a settlement from his injury, we were able to put a down payment on our own home, and the worker's comp insurance company began paying me to take care of him every day.  Things were good again.  My husbands condition deteriorated, he could not get the medical and equipment he needed, was forced to stay in the bed for three years – then sepsis took his life in 2010.  There I was again, no job, no money, alone.  I began writing on this blog to occupy my mind, and fill my days with knowledge and in the process I had hoped to educate others as well.  I met some new friends online, and rekindled some old friendships.  Things began to improve again until I lost another friend.  We had many conversations about his life and experiences that I found very fascinating and interesting.  I had mentioned several times to him that I would like to put his story on paper.  He laughed at me, didn’t think it would hold any interest to anyone.  I don't know if it will or won't, but I’m at least gonna give it a try.  Like they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.  I hope that this difficult time in my life will produce another opportunity, so I will be spending some time working on that, but I won't be far away from you guys.

What opportunities have you had during difficult times?  Let us know in the comment section below, and leave a comment if you have any other questions for me.