The Power of Relationship

I have a friend, one whom I will not name because I want to protect his privacy.  He is getting married later this year, which is an incredible accomplishment given the last fifteen years of his life.  I have known him for quite a few years, and I have seen him fight through tough times.  He has battled a diagnosis of bi-polar, with periods of extreme depression over the years.

At times I have been blessed with the opportunity to adjust him, and at other times simply to mentor him.  It wasn’t but a few years ago that he was checked into a hospital for those who are feeling a little unstable.  I drove down to visit him, and as we talked, it dawned on me, and I shared it with him, that his story would be one worth writing.  That when he got well, truly well, that he would need to write about his life, and encourage others along the path to wellness.

It wasn’t his first time in a “mental institution”, nor the first time that he had considered thoughts of hurting himself.  He has always been one to shun the medication that has been prescribed for him, but at times he seemed to find solace in it.  When we spoke that day a few years back, I felt confident that he would not hurt himself ever.  As if God spoke into that moment, “he knows he has too much worth doing here”.

So the turnaround.  This is pretty cool when you look at the story.  A history of near misses.  Going to college, getting 4.0 grades, getting close to graduation, then falling into depression and not finishing the curriculum.  Taking poor grades for the last semester, and ruining the GPA at this school.  Well, he had been on a similar path, when in walks a woman into his life.  This is the power that I speak of above.

It wasn’t love at first site, but it was love.  And as that love grew and grew (my friend had hardly been going into public just a few months prior), his desire to do well by her, grew as well.  He slowly was being rescued by the care he had for this woman’s opinion of his life.  She was saving him, and didn’t even know it at the time.  And now, he is on his way to something bigger and better in his life with his career, his relationship, and his peace.

You know, there are a lot of us who need saving from ourselves.  Perhaps daily.  Many of us don’t even realize it, but the person whom is designed to save us, is very often with us.  My practice has been shrinking lately, and it is because (I believe), I have not been devoted to the effort of reaching the community.  The one thing that I hold paramount to our success in achieving my mission – To change the way the world perceives health, while showing honor to God and my family.

If I am to do that, I need to be reaching a new person every other day, and I have not been.  So I tell you now, that I am back on that mission, and it is because of my wife.  She has come out and saved me, and I know nobody else could have.  It has been building in its tension, but she is the one who put it just right, and as I sit and think about the legacy that I will leave for my children, I want it to be all about the relationships I have in my life, with my patients, with my friends and ultimately with my family and my God.

I have a dream that I will be able to positively influence all of you through what I do.  The problem is that the dream is self centered, and really allows that ego to rear its ugly head.  In reality, it is through the blessing that God has given me to relate to you.  And so I thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of your wellness pursuit.

One thing I can tell you confidently though, is that because of that relationship, and what He has allowed me to learn about the nervous system, I will be able to help you draw closer to the body that was part of the original design.  That by staying the course of regular adjustments over time, you will not only feel better, but you will quite obviously function better.  My best stories are the patients who have been coming for years, who simply are well.

If you are not that person, stay the course, build deep relationships with those who will positively influence you, and your time will come.  Let us know where you seem to be failing, and we will be sure to push to help you!

Be well, be blessed, be loving!  Hug day coming soon! – Dr. E