IN YOUR OWN WORDS KEEP GOING THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES BY RAELENE JOHNSON, VOICE VENDOR LIFE CAN GET HARD AT TIMES. Sometimes, you know trouble is coming your way, and you can prepare for it. Most of the time, you will never see trouble coming, and the next thing you know, you are in it. The lucky ones can get out of trouble really fast, but some can’t get out of trouble, and they end up in pain for years. Sometimes, they are the cause of their pain. Sometimes, they suffer from pain caused by others. Hard times will come and go for most of us, yet, for some, when the pain comes to them, they end up lost in their pain, and it can be years before they can be at peace and lose the pain. When you are in a hard time, it is difficult to see a way out. When you have little to no family or friends to see your trouble or pain — there will be no one to reach out to and ask for help. You will feel so very alone. That in itself is a hard place to be. When you have no one who cares about you, loneliness can cause you to grab on to someone else who is not helpful, a person who will keep you at arm's bay, or will just stay away from you, making you even sadder and lonelier than you were. If you are homeless, it gets harder and harder to take rejection. Over time, you may find one or two other homeless people who will become close, so you have each other and watch out for each other. Life on the street is very difficult. Homeless people have to worry about people stealing their things. You have to worry every day about finding safe and hidden places, where no one will see you or attack you while you are sleeping. Women who are homeless have it even harder if they have no one to keep an eye out for them. Two people working together is much better than one person alone. It will be safer to have people who watch out for each other while homeless. Hard times will always be part of our lives. Don’t give up. Don’t stay in pain. Just keep fighting through the hard times. Don’t let it overwhelm you. Believe you will overcome whatever you are going through. You can and will get through it with time, but the outcome depends on how you handle the situation. If you give up, things will only get harder. Hard times are long dark tunnels. When you enter that darkness, you can’t see the light at the other end but know that the light will come. Then, when you get to the other end, you will finally see the light. Just remember that even when you are in pain, there is always light — even if you cannot see it. Know that you can overcome hard times if you really want to. Do not give up on Self! Only Self can defeat Self. RAELENE JOHNSON. CREDIT: KAREN BEEMAN Know that there is help out there. All you have to do is ask. Do not suffer by yourself. It is okay to ask for help. A closed mouth does not help you get anything! You have to open your mouth to ask for the help you need. You will find that some people really want to help, but you need to ask. My prayer is that no one suffers alone but instead finds compassionate people to help them. If you see someone you know is hurting, see if you can help them, or help them to find the right help if you can’t help them. Don’t look away, hoping someone else will help. Someone else may not help. Just understand that you are not alone or have to go through hard times without any help. Let’s start looking out for one another, and the world will be a better place. ■ NFL 2024-5 ILLUSTRATION BY CHARLES SPRING, VOICE VENDOR ILLUSTRATION BY CHARLES SPRING 12 DENVER VOICE September 2024
13 Publizr Home