A friend of mine recently sent me the following quote.

You will not be the same after the storms of life:

You will be stronger, wiser and more alive than ever before.

Bryant McGill

What a lovely thought and something to hang on to through those tough times. I believe the first line to be completely and undeniably true.

Sadly, I question the second. I believe you are different, but as for “stronger” that depends on your definition of the word. Sometimes, to prevent future “storms”, or just to protect our souls, we create shields around ourselves, keeping others at a distance; all in an effort to ensure calm seas in our lives. When you have suffered terribly isn’t it natural to try your best to make sure it never happens again? But is that strength, or a loss of innocence and of trust?

However, I now think of some of the people I have mentioned throughout my various blogs, and I look back to the quote. Truly, Mr McGill must have met some of them when he wrote this; he must have known the amazing “strength” they all have in common, listened to their wisdom and been buoyed by the amount of life  in them.

They have survived the storms, but, more importantly, retained their humanity and compassion; remaining open to those storms yet to come.