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Hey Friend!
I’m writing as I prepare my presentation for this Saturday’s annual Chris Norton Foundation dinner fundraiser. I realized that none of this would be happening had I miraculously regained my ability to walk after my injury. The Foundation wouldn’t exist. I wouldn’t have experienced the hardships facing so many with disabilities. Our empowering camps wouldn’t uplift individuals who feel isolated. Years later, I see how the biggest battle of my life bore fruit beyond measure – nothing I could have predicted or imagined in my heartache.
That’s the challenge: we can only connect the dots backward, not forward. So what do you do amid the storm, when you can’t see the good or understand the meaning of your pain? There’s a gap between hardship and purpose. What you do in that gap determines everything. Like me, you face a choice: give in to fear and abandon dreams, or have faith to rebuild your life from the ground up, without a clue where it will lead. It takes abundant faith, courage and patience to persist with no guarantee, but I believe you have it inside.
Here’s one thing that helped me move forward: simply asking for help. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Most people have compassion to share if you’re vulnerable enough to ask. Whether it’s a counselor, family, friend or someone else – ask for help when you need it, because we all do. Do this long enough and I believe one day you’ll see the good emerge. The good doesn’t have to be big for it to be great. Maybe you’ll be there for someone facing a similar battle, lightening their burden from your experience. Because when we lighten someone’s load, we create ripples that can change worlds.
Stay strong, be courageous, be patient, and ask for help when you need it. The helping hands you extend outward today can inspire hope in unexpected ways down the road.
Your friend,
Chris
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