Tag: suffering

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Battling PTSD Can cause Heartache for a Family

Thanks to all of you who have been joining us here. We help bring change to lives. The response has been wonderful.  We just past 3,994 new subscribers. That was a huge increase in 2016. We only had 1,000 two years ago. In 2017 help us to make it to 4,000.

We are only six away of reaching our goal.  We will be giving a prize to the person who is our 4,000th person to subscribe. Somebody will win in the next few hours. 

Help us make it to 4,000 by subscribing today if you haven’t already. This shows you care for veterans. Just click on the icon right after the title of this post to do that, and the posts will come straight to your inbox.                            ____________________________________________________________

Doug Bolton, the founder of the blog, Signs of Hope, which is at www.dailysignsofhope.com, has written a new book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.” It reaches out the many military and veterans who may be battling anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, rejections, and the many other usual suspects. There are 22 military connected suicides every day. That is almost one every hour. Doug wants to help stop those statistics.  

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This is a new social network just for veterans. I joined it and made instant friendships with veterans who want to talk about what I want to talk about. Please check it out. You will be glad you did. 

https://www.rallypoint.com/join/spc-douglas-bolton

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We have just added a fantastic product for people who are suffering from PTSD. I have looked at the video myself. It is a little long, but it is very valuable. Go to   https://sites.google.com/site/v4vweaponspackage/  to see for yourself. It will change your life if you suffer from PTSD. 

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The 4th of July is passed, and life will settle back down for us veterans, but will it really?

Many veterans have struggles all year around. They battle PTSD, TBI, depression, homelessness, war wounds, etc.

There are many brother and sister veterans who don’t have the peace they need. They feel they don’t have the support they need. They would rather hide in their bed all day.

I feel for these heroes. They served their country and should be respected, and get the treatment they need.

If you know of someone who is suffering, reach out to them. Show them they matter. It could in your own family.

The hard part is that many veterans don’t want people to know they are hurting. They hide in their little world and try to go at it alone. Some many suicides happen because of this. There are 22 veteran suicides everyday. I didn’t say every week, or even every year. This is everyday.

How do you know if a veteran is hurting?

  • Have their feelings changed about the world since they left the military? Often this is a sign of an inner battle going on inside them.
  • Do they seem distant and do not want to talk about their experiences from the military? This is a sign of PTSD.
  • Do they get angry easily? Another sign of PTSD.
  • Do they refuse to  get help? They feel they are suppose to be tough guys, and not seek help.
  • Do they break down crying and they don’t know why? The memories come rising up in their brains like a huge tidal wave.
  • Are they abusive? Domestic violence has no place in the homes, but PTSD often causes it.

So what can we do about it?

  • Love them unconditionally. Not matter how hard it gets your consistent love will overcome them eventually.
  • Make them seek help. This is one huge step to their recovery. They will probably fight this, but you might have to let them know that it is a deal breaker if they don’t get help.
  • Try to make their environment stress free as possible. If it is near the 4th of July, go for a trip away for the fireworks for a couple of days. It will be a good bonding time, and the veteran will not be jittery from the noise.
  • Listen to them! If they want to talk that is a huge break through.

I fully understand that it is hard on the whole family. You are probably close to battling depression yourself. Stay strong, you may be the only hope for a struggling veteran.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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When Will The Storms Stop?

Thanks to all of you who have been joining us here. The response has been wonderful.  We just past 3,625 new subscribers. That is a huge increase in 2016. We only had 1,000 a year ago. Help us to make it to 4,000.  Could you be the one that puts us over the top? Our goal for the end of this year is 5,000.

Help us continue to grow by subscribing today if you haven’t already. Just click on the icon right after the title of this post to do that.

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Doug Bolton, the founder of the blog, Signs of Hope, which is at www.dailysignsofhope.com, has written a new book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.” It will be reaching out the many military and veterans who may be battling anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, rejections, and the many other usual suspects. There are 22 military connected suicides every day. That is almost one every hour. Doug wants to help stop those statistics.  

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If you follow Twitter, join me by following @heavenencounter. Many veterans are starting to follow and we hope to have many more to share thoughts and ideas with. You can also connect with my on Facebook by putting my name in the search area.

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I see it has been almost three months since I last posted here. I have spent my whole summer battling an infection in my spine. I am just starting to feel well enough to be able to stop the daily IV doses of antibiotics.

I missed so much because of this. My family went on summer trips, but I couldn’t go because of the IV treatments everyday.

I wasn’t able to drive because the effects of the antibiotics made me drowsy and sleepy. So, not only was I in severe pain, I also was grounded and sent to my bedroom like a disobedient child.  I spent three weeks staring out my bedroom window hoping some birds or squirrels might come by for me to see.

This is a pretty sad story so far.

I want you to know something. I never faltered. I never cursed God. I never gave up my positive attitude.

I could have given up and let the dark side have its way.

It reminds me of when I was in a huge battle with depression while in the military, and beyond. I spent many days wondering what the world was all about, and if I wanted to be a part of it.

In 2001 I actually was sitting in my Ford Explorer thinking of checking out of this hotel called earth.

God woke me up that day. He stopped me in my tracks. He had plans for me, and it wasn’t my time to leave this earth. So now I am writing this post to you to share hope.

I also share hope on my blog at www.dailysignsofhope.com. As the title states, you get daily signs of hope. Check it out and join me there as well. Find out why 94,000 people are subscribers to the blog.

I have been labeled as the “hope whisper.”   I go to writer’s conferences and people address me with that name.

Why? Shouldn’t I be angry at the world? I had over ten years of serious ailments including five surgeries. This latest trial has been one of my hardest to accept.

I don’t feel anger. I don’t think this world is an awful place to be.

I have learned that we will all face trials and storms. Some will be raging storms. I have also learned that each time I make it through the storm I am a little stronger. I even learned that I can use my adversity, pain, and suffering to help others who may be going through the same things.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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There’s Suffering for Doing Wrong; Suffering for Doing Right

There is been a big up surge in subscribers to our RSS feed lately. We have had 12 new subscribers in just a couple of days. That is wonderful. Keep up the great work by helping is climb up in the Google Search Rankings. Just click on the icon right after the title to do that.

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Another shocking announcement! ( That got your attention!) “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, ” is now out in eBook form. I You can acquire it at all the eBook outlets. It is only $4.99 compared to $19.99 in the bookstores. Help it climb the www.amazon.com best selling list. You can even order it right from this site by clicking on the Amazon icon on the right.

If you want a hard copy with the autograph of the author on it, just click on the bookstore tab at the top of this page to order one. It is only $15.99 plus shipping compared to the $19.99 price in the retail stores.

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I have a podcast here that I did with John Kremer, the marketing guru. He invited me to share unusual places to sell books. Take a listen and hit those streets running: goo.gl/WGTF7

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I had the misfortune of going to my critique group meeting on the wrong night. They had changed the night from Wednesdays to Mondays. I had all my critiques done, and was excited to share with my group. I got to the meeting place, and bought a hot chocolate drink. I waited, and waited. No one showed up.

I was in the wrong. I didn’t keep up on the emails the leader had sent out to catch the change. Make sure you don’t miss your critique group meetings.

Critique groups are very important part of your writing. You learn so much in those meetings, and your work is polished into a much better form for future submissions.

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It is one thing to suffer for doing wrong. The prisons are full of those who have done wrong. It is another thing to suffer for doing right.

When the storm comes, it attacks the assumption that if we do everything that is right we will never suffer.

Think of those who have lost their jobs, not from poor performance, but because of “down sizing.” Think of those who are loving spouses and yet they are dying from cancer.

Even the disciples did the right things and yet the storm hit them and they wondered, “Why the storm, and where is Jesus.” (John 6:19)

Some people feel bad enough to be in the storm, but when they are in the storm alone, it is even worse.

There are sunny days of excitement, and joy, and then there are days of dark clouds and rain. There are days of  t-bone steaks and days of baloney sandwiches.

God has given us a promise:

“God will always give what is right to his people who cry to Him night and day, and He will not be slow to answer them. ” (Luke 18:7) 

Remember:

You are not alone.

You are not forsaken.

You are not unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!