Hello and welcome to my blog,

My name is Ruth and this is a blog of some of my personal experiences, stories, poems and and things that I have learned throughout my travels and would like to share with you. 

We are all writers, poets, filling the pages of this book called, “Life” .  We can write whatever we choose, it is our story and no one else’s. Sometimes things happen we never thought would. Tragedy strikes, a mistake is made with serious consequences, or something causes us a pain that pierces deep in our soul. Now there is a chapter  written in our book of sorrow and pain, a chapter we wish was not there and can not seem to read past. But let me tell you something, no matter what has been written in the chapters of your past, no matter how tragic or painful, how you choose to write your present, can lead to the story of a beautiful future because “broken” can be beautiful.

Years ago  I was playing football with my brothers, when I fell and shattered my leg. I had to have 8 screws and a  titanium rod put in my leg. The doctor said I would never walk the same again. I was in a wheel chair for several long months and the pain was very severe. Nearly every night I would dream that I was falling some way or another and would move my injured leg to stop me from falling. This would cause severe pain to shoot through my leg since I moved it for real not just in my dream. It was hard to wrap my mind around the fact that in one moment I went from going on long distance runs early in the morning, to now laying on a bed in great pain.

I had nothing to say about this happening, but I did have a say in the attitude I would choose to deal with it. People go to different places to deal with suffering. Some choose self-pity and regret, some get bitter and blame God, and some respond in pride and a “I can handle it” attitude. But I learned that suffering can be something beautiful, a gift even, producing a depth of character. God chooses the broken, the lowly and the humble.  He can take something that was bad, and use it for our good if we choose to yield to Him, to surrender to Him and to believe in Him. He can only bring something beautiful out of that which has been broken. (Check out these scriptures: Ps.34:18/Prov.29:23/Is.57:15,66:2/Mat.23:10/1Cor.1:28/Jam.4:10/1Pet.5:5)

Even if I could, I would never take back my accident. It has changed my life, made me a bigger person and taught me so many things. I will never look at someone in a wheelchair the same way, I now see the immense amount of patience it takes and they deserve respect.

All though I still have pain in my leg, I have fully recovered from the accident, in fact I won a sprint triathlon and placed in a marathons the following years. I have learned Irish step dance (my families heritage is Irish), and perform it on the streets as we travel the world. We frequently visit and perform in prisons overseas (see my blog posts) and I do an Irish style tap dance purely with my feet. I share the story of my accident to show that no matter how bad a situation may seem, there is hope, and we can dance again. I never would have written a wheel chair into my book, but now as I look back and read that chapter, I would not take it back and that which was broken, has become beautiful.

I do not know the things you have gone through my friend, but I assure you, no matter what has been, God can redeem it, so that what will be, will be great. Remember, you may have not chosen to be in your current situation, but you CAN choose the attitude that will redeem your situation. There is a story that is waiting for a pen to write it. A story of hope and promise. A story that could change the lives of others and not just be another book on a shelf collecting dust. Dare to dream. Dare to live. Start to write. Start to dance.

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