Curing a Symptom or Healing a Life?

This is an excerpt from and article from Pathways magazine. To read an additional excerpt you can visit their website at pathwaystofamilywellness.org If you like what you read you can get a free copy of the entire magazine. I really enjoy this mag because unlike the other parenting magazines, it's not loaded with a bunch of useless advertising, and the articles are really uplifting, enlightening, and empowering. So with out further ado here it is:
"Through illness the body gives us a message- it tells us that something is out of balance. This is not a punishment for bad behaviour; rather it is, nature's way of creating equilibrium. By listening to the message we have a chance to contribute to our own healing and to participate with our body in bringing us back to a state of wholeness and balance. So, rather than blaming ourselves by saying "Why did I choose to have cancer?" we can ask "How am I choosing to use this cancer?" We can use whatever difficulties we are confronted with in order to learn and grow, to release old patterns of negativity, and to deepen compassion, forgiveness and insight. Our difficulties can then become stepping stones along the way rather than stumbling blocks. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness and guilt that we are responsible for everything that happens to us, illness can be seen as a tremendous challenge and opportunity for awakening. In this way illness can be a great gift- a chance for us to find ourselves." Debbie Shapiro