What would you say was your most trying experience and what did you learn from it?

Question

My most trying experience would probably be the loss of my daughter at 9 months pregnancy. It was a terrible loss but looking back I can honestly say it taught me much that I would not have thought to learn. I treasure every moment that I have with my two sons as I never thought to have them. I love all children more deeply and feel that I have a special person now praying for me.

Answer 1

I'm sorry for your loss! It's wonderful that you have the heart to care for children more deeply! Mine was being married to a very psychotic man who stalked me and even pulled a gun on me. Even after I had left, he tried to hunt me down. It wasn't until he found a new woman to bother that he left me alone. When he married her, I prayed to God for her safety. He is no longer with her, but she is permanently disabled. He is with a woman now 10 years younger than him and I pray for her safety, as well. What I learned from it is that people are not always what they seem, and that I am stronger than I thought. Also that you never know what a person has gone through and we should all treat one another with respect. Do not prejudge anyone, because you don't know what they have been through.

Answer 2

I was trying to decide between two. The most recent was the death of my Mother from cancer that had shown signs a year earlier. Too late now but they could have stopped it then. Pancreatic cancer. I was very close with her, always her "favorite". Even though I'm a 49 year old man, it was a difficult loss. I stayed with her and cared for her for her last 9 mos. I also assured her I would stay with my stepdad and care for him as much as I could. No one I know (other than my Mother) who knew this man ever liked him but that's another story. He passed away after a year or so. So that 2 year period was pretty tough especially since I had been through 3 neck surgeries, a triple bypass and a knee replacement shortly before all of this went down. I guess I learned that death is part of life and no matter how unfair it is, we all have to face it and can never be quite prepared for it. The other trying experience that came to mind was joining the Marine Corps for 4 years when I was 17. The difference is that was a trying experience in a positive way with a positive outcome. I learned a trade. I bought a house with a VA loan and now that I am disabled I recieve excellent medical care at the VA hospital. Those 4 years weren't always a rosy situation at the time. But I realized later that it was because of what you make it. How you spend your free time. Plus the fact that it was all peace time ('74-'78), man, I had it made. East coast, west coast, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Sardinia and one full year on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. So, stick with the choices you make and be grateful for the people you have while you have them.

Answer 3

I myself lost a son at 6 months pregnancy. So I understand how you feel. I was blessed with another son a year later, and treasure him, as well as my 2 girls.
But, I would actually say my most trying time was the test God has recently put me through.
He led me to the love of my life, after my husband and I separated. However, he seemed to want to test how true we would be to each other, and so he put us through a lot of negative, on both our parts. Enough to make anyone else leave the person they were with, yet, we have stuck together, and all of a sudden, out of the blue...everything changed. The issues that were causing those problems between us, just disappeared, and we have been blessed with a wonderful life now! Maybe not perfect because we are poor, but we have let God back into our lives and things are better than they ever could be even if we had a billion dollars, actually I would have to say better than it would be if we had that much money!!
So, what I learned was, that if God leads you somewhere and then things get rough, stick it out, because there is a reward for doing what he asks, waiting for you around the corner!!

Answer 4

Coming out.

I learned that most religious "truth" is bullsh*t. People are mostly tiny-minded small sheep that unqestioningly follow the dictates of society. The approval of your fellow humans is extremely unimportant. Social morality is arbitrary.

Those were the negative lessons. The positive lessons were:

The strength to seek truth even if the truth is distasteful to me. The strength to be whoever I am no matter what other people think. Freedom from the expectations of others. Realizing how robotic and sheep-like most people are, then finding the ability to self-create in a conscious and awake way. Self-reliance. Confidence, inner strength, true self-esteem. Blazing my own trail. Intellectual and emotional independence. That's just for starters.

Answer 5

When in third grade my 'best friend" at the time found out my family was atheist, she decided to tell the WHOLE school, and it was a very large elementary school. I was always being teased, and I realize now it was because I was easiest to tease. Popular kids would tease me to show off, and people looking for 15 minutes of fame would find me because I had no confidence and lacking social skills and I was easiest to tease. It was a very trying time for me. Went on for 4 years too (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th.) People would say things like "She thinks we evolved from rocks." I only had two friends: a pagan and a super-religious Christian who thought she could convert me.

I learned a lot of things from this. For one, kids are cruel and ruthless, and 2nd, the bigotry of other people, however very hard to endure, is not worth throwing away your beliefs. I believe in science and evolution, I believe there is no god, and I'm sticking with my beliefs.

P.S. I'd appreciate it if you Christians would teach tolerance to your children, so other little girls won't have to go through what I did. Thanks.

Answer 6

I've learned that in this life, we have a battle with the enemy.

I 'm currently going through that now, I have a very loving relationship with my husband, but the closer I get to get, the more we get into nasty arguments, and get my feelings hurt.

I've learned that if I have troubles in my life, that means I'm on the right path, I try to keep focus that the devil will go away as long as i dont give in to the temptations he puts infront of me.

and I've learned that God Listens!

Praise the Lord.!

Answer 7

Probably 2 things- when I told my parents I was no longer Christian and converting to Wicca, and when I had to be a floor counselor for a floor of freshmen at college (35 woman). The first one, I learned about patience, faith, and sticking up for what you believe in even when those closest to you aren't being supportive. The second one- I learned a lot about dealing with different personalities, how to maintain authority, how to diffuse difficult and/or dangerous situations and deal with very drunk people, how to have a thicker skin, and how to deal with gigantic amounts of stress.

Answer 8

aw so sorry for your loss Debra ... but wonderful to see you are still filled with love and maybe more so towards children due to your loss.... light in everything isn't there ?

my most trying time i would have to say ( apart from being on these boards lol )
was forgiving a dying person .. when my dad was dying i had so much resentment towards him because of the past ... but as he got more ill , i could only see an old sick man in front of me
and strangely enough his illness changed both him and myself for the better .. isn't life strange :o)
he is so close to me now that i feel we have bonded more than ever ... you know me so know what i mean :o)
love to you Debra you always bring so many smiles to these boards xx

Answer 9

Too many to list, but I'll go with the time when my wife left me. My father had an unusual ability to whisper in my ear and turn me into a paranoid jerk. I was hateful and jealous in a way that was abusive (verbally, I never have and never will lay a hand on her) If she hadn't left, I would never have learned about this unfortunate condition.

Answer 10

Sitting in a hospital waiting room wondering if my father was going to make it off the operating table while having a triple by-pass. He had only a 40 or so percent chance of making through and he did. I was the only one in my family who was brave enough to go and see him in ICU after the surgery and I've never seen so many tubes and machines in my whole life. It made me realize to be thankful for those around you because life is short and the only certainty in life is death.