must ask yourself if you could be in denial. This recognition is more than half the battle. Ask God to help you see the situation clearly and to give you the strength and wisdom to handle it. After that, take a realistic look at your situation and learn all you can about it (physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects). Soon you’ll be able to replace pretending with fact. In that way, you can move past the paralysis of denial to acceptance of the task at hand—whether that is addressing your own approaching