For those of you reading this who haven’t read about why the pinecone has such significance, I urge you to click here (https://www.timberbronzeshop.com/pages/the-story-of-the-pinecone) and read about it. The following will make much more sense.
After months of thinking about this project, I decided it was time to update the progress that has been made, both in my life and in others. I had to remember that while it is a symbol, the cone is an inanimate object. It has no feelings, no response, no insight, no intrinsic value other than the time, love and effort that went into producing it. And even that is arbitrary. What one puts value on another may deem as naught.
I came to the realization that I still needed help. A friend invited me to lunch one day and told me that we had access to a rather unutilized source of help, one that has accredited professional status and has helped many people before me. He asked what state of mind I was in right then, at that moment. I broke down in tears and told him that I felt like I was in a totally dark room and was chained to the floor, unable to move. There were voices in my head, all speaking loudly and in a flurry that I couldn’t catch up with. While there was no discernable conversation, I felt as though they were crying out in unison that I was of no worth, useless to everyone and I should just throw in the towel and call it quits. Let’s just say that he made a phone call that day.
We set the appointment, and I showed up. There’s a key point right there. I showed up. I realized that I was of worth and that I needed professional help to get out of the situation I was in. I likened the situation to a deposit box at a bank. While I could use the key I had to unlock my portion, it took another key to fully open the drawer so that together, we could get at what’s inside.
I thought that this was going to be a session about childhood regression, etc. but it was not. We just dealt with the issue at hand, dealing with the PTSD that had surfaced and grown due to being hit by lightning. In talking through that situation, I found it interesting how much of a negative impact just that one experience had on all phases of my life. Eye-opening…
It’s far too complicated and in-depth to try to write it all dons on paper, but here’s my attempt at the shortened version. I found the session to be quite useful and liberating. The therapist took me through a series of tasks that allowed me to go from a place of not even wanting to think about the lightning strike to being able to look at it from outside of my splice trailer, looking at the situation as though it was happening to someone else. Then, instead of being the victim, I could come at it from a place of wanting to help. I was still watching it happen, but from a different place. The whole event is still a memory, but now it’s one that I can deal with and not find myself in the fetal position, cowering in the corner, every time a lightning storm comes through.
Every situation is going to be different, as is every treatment option. What works for some won’t work for others. But here’s some key takeaways.
- Realize that you are going to need help from someone else. Get over it. That’s just the way it is. Reach out. Stop thinking about what others may think.
- Be willing to show up. Take a sick day or some personal time to attend the appointment. I heard it said once that even God can’t steer a parked car. It has to be in motion. The acts of reaching out and making it to the appointment are your part of the two key process.
- Use what you’re learning to help someone else. If they reach out to you, then you are the one who will be able to make a difference in their life. There are no coincidences.
I’ve lost count of how many cones we have handed out. But I do know that each one we have given has gone to someone who has reached out or we were directed to give one to. Either way, we are being told that they have made and are making a difference. This whole project is about helping someone in your life, giving them a hand up, letting them know that you care, and you are concerned.
This is not about how many cones we can sell. Heck, if you think it would help, just send them the picture. As described before, the cone is handcrafted out of bronze and is, therefore, meant to be passed down through the generations. I try to think of what it is going to mean to my grandchildren when they realize that we went through the same things they are going through right now and that somehow, it will be alright. The cone is just a means of expression and will hopefully point them in a better direction, to the One who actually made the cone in the first place. True healing comes of and through Him.
Please join our community at www.www.timberbronzeshop.com. You don’t have to buy anything. We would just love to hear from you. We all get better when we work together!
