Faith&FamilyNews - Flipbook - Page 20
Socrates Once Said ÒIf you donÕt get what
you want you suffer; if you get what you
donÕt want you suffer; even when you get
exactly what you want, you still suffer because you canÕt hold on to it
forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change.
Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is
law, and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.
_______________________________________________________________________________
(Annie Johnson Flint - Continued)
around this time that Annie was told by her Doctor that
because of advanced arthritis she would be a helpless invalid
for the rest of her life. In addition to her arthritis she suffered
from other ailments, including cancer and painful bed-sores.
There were never enough pillows Annie could use to ease her
suffering, even slightly.
I was drawn to AnnieÕs poems and to her story because of her
entrepreneurial spirit. Her story and her determination to
support herself touched me. Maybe it was because it raised a
question thatÕs as old as humanity itself, ÒWhy is there so much
pain and suffering in this world.Ó
Several years ago I spoke at a funeral of a friend who had
suffered a great deal in the months leading up to his death. In
closing I took the time to read this poem. It seemed Þtting
because I felt this poem could only have been written by
someone who had no choice but to look upward. AnnieÕs
poems and her hand drawn greeting cards implied this to me.
She looked up and saw God more clearly. Annie said that her
