Warning: This blog entry is not for the faint of heart. One of my customers posted in her story about her skin issue due to allergies. It brought me down memory lane. When I was in my final year of high school in Australia, I developed an allergic reaction to sunscreen (and all SPF products) overnight. I had the worst blisters and they were filled with puss. Gross, I know. They were so painful. And the worst thing was, it was my face that was effected the most. My body only had red bumpy rashes.
It was exam time and I was so stressed and felt so ashamed about how I looked. Puss oozed out while I was on the bus, in class, at home, all the time. Just when the scabs were drying, they would crack again and bleed. I used my hair to cover up my face. Smiling, talking, and laughing would open up the sores and scabs and more puss would ooze out.
At 18, I didn’t know makeup and I never wore makeup. It was honestly one of the worst two months of my life. My already low self-esteem sunk to the bottom. I cried all the time. “Why me, God? Why? I went to church every day. Why did you punish me like this? What sin did I commit?”
My mom felt so hopeless seeing me like that. After trying all kinds of stuff, she had an insight. Zam-buk. It’s a eucalyptus balm/ointment and is used in many Asian countries topically. My family has always had Zam-buk in our drawer (often on every floor), for generations.
So my mom would rub the balm between her fingers to warm it up and melt it a bit to make it easier to apply. Then she would pray and apply the balm onto my face and lips. Within a couple of days, it was greatly improved. We knew then we have found the answer to my healing. The minty effect of the eucalyptus helped soothe the sores and I began to have hope again.
We were also in the middle of packing up and selling our stuff to move across the globe to Toronto, Canada. There was a LOT going on. We did so many yard sales. And then just before we left Perth, Western Australia, the scabs peeled off and revealed the smoothest skin underneath. Raw, newborn skin. It was the start of summer there and we were heading to winter in Toronto.
I arrived in this country with brand new skin on my face and high hope. My face stayed smooth for the first year before acne took over… Nothing compared to what I endured during those two months. Little did I know the food I was eating had something to do with my acne.
When I reflected on this incident after I arrived here, I realized that underneath struggle and pain, you can find beauty and renewal. But we would only get to see what’s underneath if we endure, peel off the layers, and move beyond.
I try to remember this lesson whenever adversities hit. I’m getting better and better with my outlook on life and its constant challenges. I feel that I’m now able to stay calm and not stress out too much in the middle of life’s challenges. I have been able to get to this space after years of changing perspectives while overcoming obstacles. It’s all life experiences. Priceless.
I pray that you too, have the strength and inspiration to overcome whatever obstacles you’re dealing with. And know that we are NEVER alone. We are surrounded by divine beings, ready to help whenever we call on them. I just experienced another miracle today that still left me in awe. I’ll talk about it later, in my next blog entry maybe. I want to reflect on it first and figure out the lessons.