I just saw this inspiring Dateline story that aired last weekend, about a Canadian woman, Amanda. She recently published a book “A House in the Sky”, detailing what she went through when she was kidnapped and held for random in Somalia for 15 months.

One of things I took away from hearing her story, is the strength that people can gather and the healing forces that are obtained by helping others.

What she went through is utterly horrendous…it’s amazing she is coherent at all. Then after everything she went through, she is healing her soul by helping to make the world a little bit of a better place for others.

I really could relate when she discussed her guilt over what her mother had to go through for 15 months, negotiating with the kidnappers to obtain her release. (Her mother hadn’t wanted her to go there in the first place.)

It reminds me of my own guilt over what others have done for me, and what they continue to do for me, to help keep me on the planet.

While I can’t ever imagine the horror of what she experienced,

I can relate to the feeling of being trapped into a horrible situation, and being utterly dependent on others in my life to help me.

Just like Amanda’s mother, if she had given up on her daughter, she would have died. If Joe gave up on me, I would be dead too.

I really need to finish my medical book. I’m slightly over half way done, but the stress of being in Ottawa (not to mention I keep getting back to back colds), I haven’t gotten as much writing done as I’d hoped.

After watching this Dateline, I realized I need to finish my medical book…not for the world, but for myself. I thought I was writing my medical book to help others, but after hearing Amanda’s story,

it made me realize how much I need to finish my medical book to help myself. I have to finish my medical book to help myself deal with the guilt I have over still being on the planet.

I need to give myself a reason.