love | Anne Rouen

Light in the darkness of depression. Photo by Gualberto 107/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Cancer of the mind. This is how I view depression. And what with the recent amazing events in parliament it will be wonderful if there aren’t a few of us suffering from it. Add to that the possibility that you’ve just had surgery, given birth or happen to be undergoing anti-cancer treatment and it becomes even more likely.

The latest research shows that the brain can continue to change throughout life; that our very thoughts can change it. Continual negative thinking can change the brain structure so that we spiral downward into depression. In contrast, thinking positive thoughts can rewire our brains to make us happy people. I thought I would share with you my tried and true formula to fight depression: cancer of the mind. I wrote this recipe for a very beautiful person who had come to feel that she was of no worth. She has a generous spirit and I know she won’t mind sharing.

Anne’s Recipe for Happiness

Requires large cupfuls of all ingredients.

This ingredient is sealed and unavailable until the others have been perfected.
Classical Music. Listen as much as possible. Beautiful music fills your head, leaving no room for negative thoughts. Combine with reading inspirational writings for a soothing, uplifting marinade.
Time is precious. Spend it with Good Friends – people with happy, positive spirits. Ditch the negative ones. Time has a full-bodied flavour.
Allow only positive thoughts so as not to attract dark entities. Think of those you love. Remember: Love thinks no evil. A powerful ingredient.
Healthy nutrition for mind and body. Pursue a goal or interest. Start small and persevere. You will be amazed at what you can achieve. Find out if you have food allergies or intolerances. The gain far outweighs the loss of what you give up.
A good dash of Sense of Humour – essential for lightness. You will find it everywhere if you look for it.
Everywhere God shows his hand in the Beauty he has created. Recognise and appreciate this fabulous ingredient in the world around us. It will lift your spirits every time, adding texture to the mix.
Count your blessings. You do have them and it is good to remind yourself of these positives. Equivalent to mixing the other ingredients – so mix well!
Now the first ingredient has matured and you can add a precious commodity – the delicate flavour of Patience.
Bake this recipe by meditating. Each time, tell yourself one positive thing, over and over.
Finally, to remove from the oven, perfectly done: Pray whenever you think of it, anywhere, any time because miracles do happen. You are a child of God. You were bought with a Price. Recognise your Worth.

Prepared with love by Anne Rouen.

When we speak about cancer, we tend to talk in terms of ‘fight’ and ‘battle’. And for that we need plenty of currency in our war chest.

Faith, hope and love: we talk about them often, bandy them about, become emotional over them – or not. Yet these three little words (not mine, but taken from the beginning of the last verse of the very beautiful and inspirational chapter of the Bible: 1 Corinthians 13) form the essentials for our battle against breast cancer.

With a diagnosis such as mine, I knew I must prepare myself to face my mortality. Don’t get me wrong: I am not, by nature, a brave person. Fear of death has always restricted the boundaries of my life. I had to dig deep. Very deep. Only one thing has ever transcended my fear of death: my lifelong love of horses.

Not so long ago, a friend asked me: “How did you do that? Prepare yourself for your mortality?”

Good question! I answered with the truth, but on reflection, it was neither well thought out nor complete. So, today I will give it a go, recognising that an answer for me may not be satisfactory or acceptable to everyone. But since it kept me positive at least 99% of the time, I think it is worth considering.

After thinking hard about it, I came to the conclusion that the complete answer lies in these three simple but powerful words. The most powerful words in the universe: faith, hope and love.

Faith: because you can believe that, even if the worst happens, and you die, that you will still live on, still be who you are. With faith we can believe that our earthly life is just the infinitesimal beginning of the journey, and not all there is.

If you’ve read my other blogs, you will not be surprised that I made plans to meet all the people from history who fascinate me, as well as my loved ones who’ve gone before. That would just about occupy me for an eternity, I think.

Imagine walking with Verdi, that beautiful man who, having lost his wife and children, felt that all music had left his soul. Yet when the wind flipped the pages of a libretto, and he read the words: ‘Fly, thoughts, on golden wings,’ he was able to compose Nabucco, including my favourite, Va Pensiero.

Or Moritz Herold, who saved the white stallions of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna after WWI, and Alois Podhajsky, who did the same thing after WWII; and what about out own St. Mary McKillop, Florence Nightingale and Queen Boadicea? The list is endless.

Hope: must always be there. While you can breathe, you have hope. Hope keeps you positive, allows you to believe in miracles – not only believe, but expect. Hope gives you energy, cranks up the immune system for its greatest battle. Yes, hope in your war chest is a must.

And, let’s face it, with all the breast cancer research going on, there is the exciting prospect of a cure just around the corner. Never give up: There is always hope!

Love: because being surrounded by love is the greatest tonic. Every positive thought enables and strengthens the immune system, and love is the greatest positive there is.

Faith, hope and love, these three remain … (1 Corinthians 13 v 13(part)) Powerful funding for a truly formidable war chest!