Logotherapy

I keep a copy of the book, "Man's Search For Meaning" by Victor E. Frankl by the side of my bed.  Lately, it has been like scripture for me; different meanings of the same chapter are illuminated according to what is going on in my life.  He says, "Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment.  Therein, he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated."  Victor Frankl was the inventor of the theory called logotherapy, wherein he believed that a person's desire to live and thrive was based on finding ones' purpose and living it.  Logotherapy believes that mental health is based on a certain degree of tension, the tension between what one has already achieved and what one still ought to accomplish, or the gap between what one is and what one should become.  I think this is something that should be pondered regularly so one can be in tune with what he/she still must achieve in life so that they are living deliberately, and not simply in reflex to what life throws at them.  It is true that being a mother and raising stable, independent, strong children is the meaning for me that is closest to my heart.  I know it is part of my purpose because it fills me up each day, because I can see the difference I am making in their lives and because it gives me great fulfillment.  But I know it is not like that for everyone, and I acknowledge that.   I also know that I have more to do in my life, outside of raising them.  I know I am supposed to go back to school.  I know I am supposed to be a counselor, and I know there are other things I am meant to do that I haven't yet discovered.  When life gets hard, it is one's sense of a purpose that can be served by no one else than ourselves, that can get us through.  I also believe that no one can or should tell you what your purpose is, although they can help you find it. One of the quotes I treasured most from his book is, "Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality.  No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him.  By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized.  Furthermore, by his love, the loving person enables the beloved person to actualize these potentialities."

And speaking of meaning, it was such a special moment today watching Madison teach Elisabeth how to ride a bike!  Madison was so patient and encouraging and she managed to teach her in about 30 minutes!! I am so proud of my girls.