Character Building

As a young boy there was nothing I looked forward to more than being able for a week or so at a time to visit my uncle. His parishes were always far enough from home that I could feel relaxed but not so far as to make the visits too infrequent. Many of the visits were indirectly brought about by my need of escape from my punishing adolescence . I really hope that those visits shaped me more than the rest of my time at home. At that time I boy without direction or inspiration except when I was with him. I felt happiest when I knew I was with someone that I could learn so much from. The new interests given to me then I am still passionate about to this day and did not feel any struggle within my personality. He is owed a lot, especially for the words he would so frequently administer to me when I was feeling hopeless "It's all Character building." When he said that I would take it to mean that I would learn from the things which troubled me. That somehow like in the Beatitudes I would be made better by mistreatment. I was pondering his statement earlier and realized that It now sounds more like a warning. Could these miseries build a horrible character? I worry this because no one to their self is horrid. Perhaps the negative has out weighed the positive in me. I am leaning toward the negative view of myself lately because although I love mankind I find myself less engaged with friendships and have less in common with those whom I used to socialize with apart from the very person that issued that statement/warning and the one who I love. Maybe I am just on holiday with another person I love all over again and this time it took me longer to really feel like myself.

With love