Not Everyone Will Like You . . .but God ALWAYS loves you

Not everyone will like you.  This is an extremely difficult thing to hear and accept.  Wednesday evening an individual wrote something hurtful and cruel on the Tails of Courage Facebook page.  Friends and family of this person, who actually volunteer for TOC were enraged and distraught, coming forward and apologizing and sharing how much they love volunteering.  For a portion of Thursday I felt that little grey cloud hanging over me, the one that creeps in and tries to tell you how low and pathetic and weak it wants you to believe yourself to be.  I tried not to let it hang there for too long and moved on with my day.  Thursday evening Tails of Courage stepped in to rescue two dogs, one from New York City, a Rottweiler who is a service dog and another from our partner rescue in South Carolina, a small beagle who was hit by a car.  Going to bed I was feeling pretty good about myself and Tails of Courage following the outpouring of thanks and cheering that came our way.  Friday morning, I awoke to see a posting from Mandissa, one of my favorite artists, where someone had expressed something horrible about her and how she chose to respond to the pain.  And then it hit me, I am a survivor.  I am the President of Tails of Courage.  I am a survivor of One World Trade Center.  I am a mother who sat the first 10 days of her child's life in the NICU unable to hold her baby, and only able to touch her hand through an incubator while she struggled for life.  I survived the day a Detective called to tell me my father had died, and 20 minutes later through my tears, listened as the doctors told me that my daughter was breathing on her own and could come home that night!  I survived divorce, because the God I serve is greater.  And myself and Tails of Courage will survive and overcome every negative comment thrown, and return your hate with love.  Tails of Courage has programs for animal rescue, children, the elderly, and the military.  If you can't find something nice to say about one of those, I don't know what to tell you, except that I challenge you today, instead of complaining and asking the world to validate your negativity, roll up your sleeves and say, Lord, how can I help?