Needless to say as she grew up she and I experienced many challenges along the way particularly in her teenage years. She suffered a very private and horrendous tragedy whilst growing up that only became known to me in her early twenties. During this time she developed epilepsy which went on to trouble her for the next four years or so. To the point of not being allowed to drive nor able to work, her confidence was at an all time low. Difficult to watch as this beautiful 6 foot attractive blonde bursting with enthusiasm and confidence became withdrawn and angry. Lots of medications, lots of hospitals, lots of seizures until she was fortunate enough to find an amazing Specialist who recommended surgery. No guarantee of a cure of course but what was the alternative?

A difficult decision for her to make and only one that she could. She did and we went through the harrowing time whilst in surgery and for the coming weeks and months that ensued. She is now almost 12 months post surgery and doing very well. No more seizures and medication being reduced monthly. What more could one ask for.

Now she is stepping cautioulsy back into the world and beginning her life all over again. Some could say she has been given a second chance and I believe that to be true, but firstly she had to find the courage and strength to make the decision to have the surgery in the first place.

I would be interested to hear your stories on people overcoming adversity. Please feel free to email me at: maryann@completepersonaldevelopment.com

Mary-Ann Roche

26 years later here we are….She is Australian and when in her own country we see each other about once a year! She travelled through Europe last year and stumbled upon Istanbul and loved it, so decided to stay! She has now been here almost a year on her own, living life and loving every wondrous moment it bestows upon her.

So many of her friends and family are bewildered and perplexed at what she doing! How could she leave her husband at home, her adult children and extended family, and why?

Because she found somewhere she loved and she made a decision to act on it. So often in life we don’t heed the warning signs, and trust me there are many along life’s journey, its just that we dont always see them. The difference is she did and what a wonderfully enriched life she is living.

It’s sometimes very challenging, living where you cannot speak the language, a woman on her own, learning to live her life in a foreign country without knowing anyone here. I am sure she has days where she wants to give it all up and go home, but the passion she feels for Istanbul and her craving for adventure keeps her here.

I envy and admire her courage and tenancy for as I write this she is struggling through a university class trying to learn turkish. She will come home frustrated yet elated having risen to yet another challenge of the day. While the rest of us go blindly through our lives, not knowing what we are potentially missing.

Cheers
Mary-Ann Roche.

Many new and interesting topics have recently been added to our site, and I do hope that you, our reader, enjoy these.

Lisa’s Chair

This is a new section that I would recommend you visit often.  Written by a dear friend who, some four years ago was hospitalised for what was termed a “routine” operation to fix a painful buldging disk in her back. Unfortunately Lisa only just found out a few weeks ago that she has a genetic disease that caused blood clotting and a possible stroke whilst on the operating table.  This resulted in her inability to walk again and Lisa’s Chair is written by Lisa herself and is an account of her journey these past four years.  A journey of hope, despair, desperation, dependency, courage and finding herself again. Every few days Lisa writes from heart about her ongoing journey in the hope that it will inspire others to continue to be positive irrespective of the card life decides to deal you.

I have added some new products that I have personally tried in the last month or two and do hope you will try them.

Affirmations

To me one of the single most powerful exercises you can do on a daily basis, affirmations tend to “keep you on track” if you like, help you to remain positive, provide you with an inner peace and can bring all type of abundance to you.  So many of us stumble upon the power of affirmations as adults but we really should teach this concept to our children early on.  On our Affirmations page  I recommend Louise Hay’s “Think, I Am: Teaching Kids the Power of Affirmations”, they make a great Christmas present for your children or grandchildren.

The Law of Attraction

I went into our local bookstore last week on the hunt for a new meditation CD.  I have had the same old trusted CD for the past 15 years and as we moved home recently, it is nowehere to be found!  So I was loathe to buy another one as that one had been my favorite for so long!  Anyway I grabbed my CD and sitting on the shelf next to it was the Law of Attraction Boxed Set by Esther and Jerry Hicks.  Don’t ask me why, but I brought it home.  On these CD’s the basics of the original Teachings of Abraham® are outlined. To be honest when I sat down to listen to the first CD I found it tough going, so I put it away and sat down to listen to it again the next day. Strangely enough this time the message was so clear to me and I understood how all things, wanted and unwanted, are brought to us by the Law of Attraction. I came to understand the part we all play in this. I really do recommend you purchase this 5 cd set.  I regard it as one of my most important purchases so far!

Wallpapers

For all my wallpaper lovers, check out my Wallpaper page as I have added lots of new free ones for you to download!

Until next time, take care.

Mary-Ann