Wanted to share this, it's such a good read ....... especially the end part.
http://www.burnchildrenrecovery.org/index.htm
There's also a very detailed personal story written by Michael Matthis who's the President/Founder of the above group, and also a burn victim himself. I thoroughly recommend that you all read 13 pages of his incredible and inspiring personal story. For those of you who lack the intestinal fortitude to manage that accomplishment, and especially for all the Christians who I have offended
recently, the following inspirational snippings are included as my personal apology and peace offering.
I wanted to die. Without the use of my hands and the eyesight to see, my life was over. I still did not know how scarred by burns I was. I kept telling everybody to leave me alone and let me die. They increased my morphine and my emotions went away. I was too high to feel anything. The days go by fast with the morphine.
About two weeks went by since I had been hospitalized. It was very late at night when I heard a voice. The voice was not heard by my ears. It was more like it was in my head. The voice said "Michael, you were burned for a reason. You will never recover from your injuries, but you must I'ive behind your scars."
I was overwhelmed by this voice. I began to cry. Suddenly, my crying turned into smiles. I felt warm inside. A light began as a dot and my eyesight began to return. The world was so beautiful and I was so happy! I screamed so loud that my father came running in. And we both sat there and hugged and cried. I was the happiest boy on the face of the earth at that moment. I could see again. Not very good, but I could see.
But as soon as my sight improved the reality of my injuries became a horrible nightmare. Burns are excruciatingly painful, but I began to feel a different pain. And this pain was in my soul. I began to see how badly I was scarred. I began to feel ugly. I was able to leave my room now and began to witness the many people that would pass me in the halls of the hospital. I was a freak; a monster. They would make gestures like oh ick, look at that; and that hurt.
Another week passed by. One day when I was asleep in my room, I woke up to find a gentleman in my room. His warm smile was very wonderful, it made me smile. He said I am Sam Hail and that he was a Shriner. We talked for a while and I started to cry. He asked me "Why are you crying?"
I told this man about my feelings, explaining to him how I looked like a monster, a freak. I ask him how I was going to live behind these scars with a missing ear. A loss of myself, he could not answer me. He just cried with me. I found out after he was gone that he was with the Nile Temple Shrine Club, and my first friend since my injury. This man changed my life, just by being a friend. His feeling for me were unconditional. The next week went by before I saw him again. This time he brought a gift with him. It was a gift to show me a way to move forward in my life. He gave me a wooden kitty with a candle inside. The outside of the kitty was all scorched and burned, blackened by the flames, just like me!
He told me that I needed to glow from within, just like the candle in the kitty. At the time I did not understand his emotions about my gift. Then he said good bye. Then another week had passed, I had just finished a visit from the hospital chaplain. We had talked a lot about God and how God glows from within. That night my life changed again. Only this time, by the hand of God.
It was about 3:00 a.m. I could not fall asleep and was tossing and turning, when I felt a warm feeling come over me. I looked at the end of my bed and saw a glowing light. I felt someone holding my feet. The light said that there was a reason why I was burned and told me that I would be able to do anything I wanted to do with my life. The reason for my injury will become known later in my life. Then the light was gone but the warmth was still there. I thought about what He said to me.
The next day I was sitting on the edge of my bed, waiting for a nurse to bring me a wheelchair. I just slid off the bed and stood on both my feet. I began to cry. I was happy to feel my feet on the ground again! Then after a couple of minutes I had to sit before I dropped. But I was happy I had to tell everyone. I realized that there would be nothing I could not do in my life.
The one thing that recovery from burns has taught me is that people will not see your scars once they are in your life. I hope my journey can help others understand that no matter what happens in your life. With your belief in God and yourself, you can overcome anything. And if you see people from the inside out, instead from outside in, you will achieve the richest gift life has to offer, inner peace and love for each other.
Michael T. Matthis
Mason and Shriner
http://www.burnchildrenrecovery.org/index.htm
There's also a very detailed personal story written by Michael Matthis who's the President/Founder of the above group, and also a burn victim himself. I thoroughly recommend that you all read 13 pages of his incredible and inspiring personal story. For those of you who lack the intestinal fortitude to manage that accomplishment, and especially for all the Christians who I have offended
recently, the following inspirational snippings are included as my personal apology and peace offering.
I wanted to die. Without the use of my hands and the eyesight to see, my life was over. I still did not know how scarred by burns I was. I kept telling everybody to leave me alone and let me die. They increased my morphine and my emotions went away. I was too high to feel anything. The days go by fast with the morphine.
About two weeks went by since I had been hospitalized. It was very late at night when I heard a voice. The voice was not heard by my ears. It was more like it was in my head. The voice said "Michael, you were burned for a reason. You will never recover from your injuries, but you must I'ive behind your scars."
I was overwhelmed by this voice. I began to cry. Suddenly, my crying turned into smiles. I felt warm inside. A light began as a dot and my eyesight began to return. The world was so beautiful and I was so happy! I screamed so loud that my father came running in. And we both sat there and hugged and cried. I was the happiest boy on the face of the earth at that moment. I could see again. Not very good, but I could see.
But as soon as my sight improved the reality of my injuries became a horrible nightmare. Burns are excruciatingly painful, but I began to feel a different pain. And this pain was in my soul. I began to see how badly I was scarred. I began to feel ugly. I was able to leave my room now and began to witness the many people that would pass me in the halls of the hospital. I was a freak; a monster. They would make gestures like oh ick, look at that; and that hurt.
Another week passed by. One day when I was asleep in my room, I woke up to find a gentleman in my room. His warm smile was very wonderful, it made me smile. He said I am Sam Hail and that he was a Shriner. We talked for a while and I started to cry. He asked me "Why are you crying?"
I told this man about my feelings, explaining to him how I looked like a monster, a freak. I ask him how I was going to live behind these scars with a missing ear. A loss of myself, he could not answer me. He just cried with me. I found out after he was gone that he was with the Nile Temple Shrine Club, and my first friend since my injury. This man changed my life, just by being a friend. His feeling for me were unconditional. The next week went by before I saw him again. This time he brought a gift with him. It was a gift to show me a way to move forward in my life. He gave me a wooden kitty with a candle inside. The outside of the kitty was all scorched and burned, blackened by the flames, just like me!
He told me that I needed to glow from within, just like the candle in the kitty. At the time I did not understand his emotions about my gift. Then he said good bye. Then another week had passed, I had just finished a visit from the hospital chaplain. We had talked a lot about God and how God glows from within. That night my life changed again. Only this time, by the hand of God.
It was about 3:00 a.m. I could not fall asleep and was tossing and turning, when I felt a warm feeling come over me. I looked at the end of my bed and saw a glowing light. I felt someone holding my feet. The light said that there was a reason why I was burned and told me that I would be able to do anything I wanted to do with my life. The reason for my injury will become known later in my life. Then the light was gone but the warmth was still there. I thought about what He said to me.
The next day I was sitting on the edge of my bed, waiting for a nurse to bring me a wheelchair. I just slid off the bed and stood on both my feet. I began to cry. I was happy to feel my feet on the ground again! Then after a couple of minutes I had to sit before I dropped. But I was happy I had to tell everyone. I realized that there would be nothing I could not do in my life.
The one thing that recovery from burns has taught me is that people will not see your scars once they are in your life. I hope my journey can help others understand that no matter what happens in your life. With your belief in God and yourself, you can overcome anything. And if you see people from the inside out, instead from outside in, you will achieve the richest gift life has to offer, inner peace and love for each other.
Michael T. Matthis
Mason and Shriner
...