Then I Looked Around

Posted byDr. Michael D. AnthonyPosted inLifeTags:, , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am thankful for 2014. There were times in 2013 that I asked that oh so selfish question…you know the one. The one that assumes that you can’t have problems, and that bad things aren’t supposed to happen to you. I asked…Why MeWhy did my aunt have to die? Why did my fraternity brother, and two of my former students, all 33 or younger have to die? Why did my mother get that? Why did she do this? Why did he say that? Why did I lose this? Why is life seeming to crumble around me? Then I looked around. I looked up at the roof covering my head. I looked down into the face of my daughter – the true love of my life. I looked beside me and saw my friends and family, and heard their words of support and wisdom. I looked at my phone to see the technology to which I am privileged to have access.

The reality is that I have my senses, and I can still extend love and support to those around me. Despite the horrors and difficulty of 2013, God has still favored me in numerous ways. Despite my own proclivities and hang ups, I am still shown mercy. The greatest grace I know is understanding that the sadness and darkness passes. It’s OK to dwell in it for a short time, but I have to change the question. Maybe I (and you) should be asking “why not me?” I am resilient, well resourced, and well supported. I have been blessed with so much, shouldn’t I expect to be challenged and tested in this life, just as everyone else is? I think the answer is of course.

So I will start everyday with this: there are two roads we can choose to go down; two realities we can choose to acknowledge. I choose to go down the path that reflects on the blessings in spite of the curses, and I choose to acknowledge that in reality – I’m very much so OK. I am blessed and highly favored. And if you have the privilege of reading this, then you are too.Two Paths Share this with someone who might need it, and Happy New Year!

Dr. Anthony

Advertisement

Published by Dr. Michael D. Anthony

I currently serve as the Vice President of Student Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, IL. I served as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Louisville and Loyola University in Chicago, IL. In order to expand my life's work beyond my day-to-day job, I started my own consulting work in leadership and diversity in 2008. I completed my Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Organizational Development at the University of Louisville, where I also earned my Master of Arts degree in Higher Education Administration. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management with a concentration in Marketing from North Carolina State University. A native of Charlotte, NC I am passionate about leadership development, organizational change, and the ability of effective leaders to transform their communities. During my professional career I have made it my personal goal to be a strong and vocal advocate for students, faculty, and staff, and have a life-long vision to empower others to affect positive change in their community. I live in Rochester, MN.

6 thoughts on “Then I Looked Around”

  2. Michael, First of all, my condolences for your losses last year. Next, thank you for sharing your reflections and for your courage and grace in adversity. I’m glad that our paths have crossed! Evelyn

    Like

    Reply

Let Me Know What You Think

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: