Grace Dale 

 

presented to the congregation during the morning worship service on Sunday 01/01/2017

 

2016 What a year!

 

January comes round, wow, it’s a new year time to forget about every little thing from the last 12 months and run into the “new year, new me mind-set” January started off fairly normal for me, I was just getting on with life. In mid-January my mum collapsed and was rushed into hospital with breathing difficulties. After a number of tests and about 26 hours the doctors said that mum had some blood clots on her lungs and mild anaemia. She came home after she was prescribed some medication and recovered well. Everything went back to normal

 
February was normal nothing out of the ordinary happened
 

March I had managed to secure myself a number of job interviews in my quest to get a job. In late March I got offered a job in a domiciliary care company! Yes after such a long time looking for a job and a few dozen interviews I had a job! I felt brilliant I was so thankful to God for giving me an opportunity like that

 

April was a good month; I had completed my job training and was thrown head on into a full time job. I was feeling great! I had a steady job, I was supporting myself financially and still being able to volunteer with youth work at Unite ENYFC

 

May I felt like I had myself in a pretty good routine I was able to go to church once a fortnight, working about 45 hours a week and getting on well balancing everything I was doing

 

June I began to struggle, I began to get stressed about work and my mental health was starting to suffer. Working was becoming harder and harder and then mum was taken ill again. She was once again rushed into hospital with similar symptoms. The doctors did all their tests and came back to us with mum’s diagnosis of leukaemia. I was shocked, my mum couldn’t have cancer! How is this possible? I took the diagnosis quite well and I stepped up to support mum and my brother while mum prepared for her first cycle of chemotherapy, all the while still continuing with my 45-48 hour weeks and youth work. Needless to say it all got too much and I left my job following a relapse with some of my mental health conditions

 

July I began self-harming again, something I hadn’t done in over 2 years. I was overwhelmed with all my feelings and was denying myself the chance of help from anyone

 

August was a better month. I went to Newday for the 5th year as a server in the prayer ministry team. Newday really gave me the chance to just escape for a week and it was challenging for my faith because I felt as though I was drifting from God a little bit

 

September I started a college course in music, a thing I’m very passionate about. Mum had been diagnosed with a more aggressive type of leukaemia and need aggressive chemotherapy. I began seeing a psychologist after a few “crisis” points

 

October, the month of my birthday - for the people who know me well they know I dislike my birthday because it celebrates me and this year I couldn’t think of anything I wanted less

 

November I was really struggling mentally; I was self-harming more and my thoughts were turning to suicide. I felt like I was making everyone have to go out of their way to help me and I felt like such a burden. Mum was having more and more chemotherapy and I had to leave college due to issues with money

 

December…. In the beginning of December I was more or less struggling to function from 1 day the next, I had decided that I needed to take a break from youth work. On the 12th of December I took an overdose and ended up in hospital. I had hit rock bottom, in some ways I was relieved to reach this point because the only way was up! I began to accept that I was struggling and began to let people help me. I could very well not be here writing this right now, I am so thankful that God is my protection. I am taking life one day at a time and keeping God at the centre

 
2017 “new year, new me” how about just “new year, new start”