Everyone believes in something, whether it’s God, the freedom of speech, horoscopes, or even Santa Clause. I, however, believe in the power of believing.
I feel this way because my grandmother was a true believer. Ever since I can remember, she’s always been sick. I never knew her as the happy, fun loving woman she once was. She battled pulmonary hypertension for the last eight years of her life. It’s a disease where you get blood clots in your lungs, uncommon for the average person. She would often have fainting spells, symbolizing the fact that she was getting sicker with every new day that came. The more fainting spells she would have, the more she would get sick. While battling these spells, she was in and out of the hospital, and we all though each time she went to the hospital would be her last, meaning that she wouldn’t come home. Grandma on the other hand thought differently. Each time she was in the hospital, she believed that she was going to make it through. Miraculously, she did every single time, that is, until the last. I guess she was just sick of being miserable, and was too tired to keep on living. But because of her faith in the power of believing, she made it through all those hard times.
My grandma also had a shawl. This shawl and her beliefs, I think, are what kept her alive for so long. We got her the prayer shawl two Christmases before she died. With every stitch, the ladies said a prayer that would heal my grandma. Whenever she felt as if life was too much to handle, she would put the shawl over her shoulders as a “safety net” to chase away all her insecurities.
The power of believing has much more of an effect on people that what we realize. Whether it’s believing in yourself, believing in the good of others, or believing in God, we all have beliefs. Even though they are all different, the strength of the believers is all the same. It’s powerful; it’s faith; its believing.