Depression

I had two thoughts on my mind this morning as I drove into work. The advantage of having your own blog is being able to say whatever you want whenever and without worrying about what others think. So which one do I want to talk about? Homer and Jethro (an old country comedy duo) used to say, "We only have two songs and we always sing one of them first. Which one do you want to do Homer?" Homer would say, "Let's do the other 'un." I think I'll do the other 'un.
Depression. What an interesting word. It can mean any number of things. It's a dent in your new car that wasn't there yesterday. It's a dip in the atmosphere that causes all kinds of problems (as in tropical depression). One of the definitions in the dictionary was "pressing down." Over the years I have counseled some who have human depression. But I had never really experienced it myself. . .until recently.
I'm not belaboring a point, but if you know me, you know that my mom died just about a month ago. Since dad died over ten years ago, for the first time in my life I am experiencing orphanhood. Since that time I have experienced a depression as I've never felt before. It's a dip in my personality. A pressing down on my soul. At times, I was not very understanding of those who came to me and talked about their own depression. But now I've seen what it does.
I have wanted to go to bed and sleep. There has been a sense of dread, of sadness in my soul in my quiet moments. My emotions are constantly on the edge. It doesn't take much to cry (yes, even for a man!). A song, a thought to call mom and let her know what I'm doing or to ask what she's doing. Or to look at an old picture with her smiling face.
I'll get over it. It's already improving. But for those of you out there who occasionlly suffer from depression, I think I'm beginning to understand. Come on out. I'll understand. And we'll walk together. Have a great day! JW