Saturday, April 9, 2011

My Supports

Support to me means to help, be there for, or encourage someone you care about. Without physical, emotional, and practical support on a daily basis, I would not be able to achieve the things I do each day. Today, Americans are so busy with their day to day responsibilities and commitments that they need more and more support from others.

My biggest supporter is my husband. I count on him to give me support with our children, keeping up with the house work, disciplining the children, financial decisions, preparing dinner, and many other daily chores. He supports me emotionally by encouraging me to achieve my goals, continuously making me feel loved, and being there when I need him. He supports me physically by doing the things around the house that I can't physically do. He takes care of the lawn maintenance, takes out the trash (in the big garage trashcan), and builds and repairs things around the house. We work together to create a healthy, loving household for our family.

My husband and I also have support from our extended family in a variety of ways. They are there when we need them to help with our children, to give advice about parenting or finances, to encourage us, and to just show unconditional love and support. We often share family meals and get together to participate in fun family activities.

I have support from my colleagues while I am at school. My team teachers and I work together to provide support to each other in several ways. We share ideas, help each other with daily lesson plans, keep each other company, help watch each others students when needed, switch duties when needed, and just help out when we know someone needs it. Because I have a supportive, caring group of teammates, it makes my job more enjoyable and easier.

I also have quite a bit of practical support. Because I am so busy with my kids after school activities and our family commitments, I could not remember everything without my daily calendar and my to-do list. These two things serve as a daily reminder of what all I have to get done by the end of the day, week, and month. Both of these supports help me to stay calm and relaxed about achieving my daily responsibilities.

My last support is my faith in God. I believe this support is what makes me feel complete. The following bible verse is one that I find powerful and supportive:
"I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me"
Philippians 4:13

Without each of these supports in my daily life, I would be incomplete, lost, and unsuccessful. Everyone needs help and support from others, and I am blessed to have such an amazing support system around me.

The challenge I chose to imagine having is being in a wheelchair (paralyzed). The biggest support I would need would probably be physical support. I would need someone to drive me around, help me to get around, help me take care of myself, and meet my daily physical needs. I would also need emotional support. I am sure that my self-worth would be low, and I would often need someone to lift my spirits. My family would have to be a huge support for me with this disability. I would also have to have several practical supports within my household to function on a daily basis. I would need a handicap ramp, resources for getting around the house, means to bath and cook, and many other things that I could not do without support in some way. Having a disability or other challenges would be difficult; however, people live their lives each day with these challenges. They use and need support from others just as you and I need it.



2 comments:

  1. I understand your need of practical supports. I used to remember the smallest details of everything, after having a child it seems I can’t remember what I'm doing from one thing to the next! I guess that comes with the territory of being a parent but I wouldn't change it for anything

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  2. I really enjoyed reading your post. My hubby is also my biggest supporter. It's great to have someone by your side who you can count on to be there for you. I consider my hubby as my best friend. I agree being in a wheelchair would be a big challenge.

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