Taking My Own Advice

My friend just underwent a double mastectomy. Her attitude was amazing, "I'm going to just focus on being as healthy as I can be now and getting ready for the reconstruction!"

Another dear friend is staring down that same surgery next month.  Being a helpful sort, I shared my other friend's insight, "Just focus on being as healthy as you can, eat right, exercise. The better shape you are in before surgery makes for an easier recovery!"

As I was saying this, I thought, "Dang. That's just good advice.  I should follow my own advice!!"

And my trainer said something that sort of hit home today, "You know, if it weren't for the cookie thing, we would be at a whole different level.  You eat really healthy other than that."

Dang. I actually took some time to think about that.  I hate it when he is right.

Ah, this crazy sugar addiction!!!  Sometimes it feels like it is something over which I have no control.  When I'm being painfully honest, sometimes, I really don't. And I don't know what to do.  It's a crutch.  A tasty, tasty crutch.

So I had a chat with God.  He brought to my mind the recognition that when I started this weird and wonderful journey to good health that I didn't know what to do then, either, but I handed it all over to Him and asked for help.  He sent me everyone and everything I needed.

He was just waiting for me to ask for help.

In asking God for help, I had to honestly look at myself and acknowledge that a part of me doesn't WANT help -a part of me is very okay with and finds comfort and protection and safety and calmness in carrying extra weight and bingeing on sugar.

So my plea wasn't just for help overcoming this issue, but to have the actual desire to overcome it completely and do whatever it takes to give it all over to God, keeping nothing back.

So that's my first tiny, honest step.

Hope and Faith

My dear friend, Hope, has a brain tumor.  She and her husband, Rob, have been dealing with this for about 7 years now.  She has been through multiple surgeries, chemo, radiation.  Hope just received news that there is a rapidly growing tumor again.  Options are limited.

I've written about Hope before.  She was my roommate during law school, and a fast friend since then.  Actually, I just realized 2014 is our 20th anniversary of being friends.  Maybe we ought to have a party or something.

Hope reminds me to have faith.  On the phone today, I said, "Hope, I keep praying for a miracle, and it hasn't happened!" and she cut me off.

"I think I've had lots of miracles.  I've gotten all this extra time.  I could have died the first time around, lots of people do.  Besides, you know we don't really DIE, you know?  I'll still be around, just in a different way.  So no matter how this all turns out, I'm okay."

Hope has a peace with this, born out of her faith.  She shared that she and Rob take turns freaking out so they aren't both freaked out at once.  She prays for me because I am so forgetful about remembering God's goodness and mercy.  (The irony is not lost on me that the woman with a brain tumor is praying for MY memory!)

Before we hung up, we reminded each other we love each other, and she promised to give everyone hugs from me, and I promised her to keep praying and we both will wrap ourselves in Love.