Grateful!

I have had a GRATEFUL day and don't want to skip over that without acknowledging how blessed I feel. As I told you that I have been down with a cold this week but... not down like I usually am. Yes, I got some chills, I had heaviness in my chest and other cold symptoms but it stayed just at that...a plain old ordinary cold, not bronchitis or pneumonia! That is a first in many years. 
About 6 months ago I felt impressed to call a lady that I knew ( but not well ), but who I knew was a strong and healthy person and one who definitely into healthy choices. She is also one of the happiest and most positive people I have ever met too. Just a wealth of knowledge and happiness all wrapped up in one.
I asked her about some healthy choices that I could look into before this Fall and Winter came, to strengthen my immune system. Since that is the flu season and personally I didn't want to go through another year of being sooooo sick. One of the things that she and her family use are doTerra Oils , I didn't know alot about them but was very curious so I went HERE: to learn more about them.
But since she sells them, it was great personally to get her knowledge and advice for what me and my body needed.  I have had other women help me with them, but I guess it just wasn't the right time, but I appreciate what they taught me. But 6 months ago I knew that I needed to get back into really paying attention to my body, and so I  started using the oils. I really do love them! My family and close friends are amazed at the results. I even took on 2 more jobs this fall and still stayed healthy through it all.
Now I am still a work in progress, but I was just tremendously grateful that this stayed at JUST A COLD!
I also went to a new Doctor today about my back. I will let you know more about that as I go along but it did remind me today that I need to stop and listen to my body more often, I need to do more positive affirmations,and I need to be more Grateful for the amazing life, family, friends and connections that I have!

Plus, my dear friend actually took me today to that new Doctor appointment, fun to be with her and not to have to do that alone. She is a PT herself, and so together we were able to share information that the DR wanted to know about me, my body and my life. So grateful that she went with me and we got to spend some time together!

After the DR appointment I was able to make a connection with a lady by phone that I found online through a you tube... she was so amazing that I emailed to thank her for her talent and for sharing it so freely with others. She is an artist, a scrapbooker, a stamper... and what a treat it was to just come upon her blog! You can check her blog out for yourself if you are into any kind of paper crafting ...look her up HERE: watch one of her you tubes and you will be amazed and her sweet personality comes through on her you tubes. I know... I should take some personal classes from her! :)

Then the dear friend who I mentioned earlier, came over tonight to help me with something I was having trouble with. I am alway amazed at how selfless she is, she has a young family, she is very busy and she is also a Massage Therapist and a great one at that ... see for yourself HERE:
but she just came and took time out of her busy life to help me...her friend.

I just feel so grateful to these people who are in my life now, helping me, or setting an example for me, who are teaching me how to make my life...even better!
 I am teaching a lesson at church tomorrow so I had better get studying!

Good Night dear friends!

Choices!

It has been awhile since I have really written from my heart, why? Well, to be completely honest with you...I am struggling. I had always heard about when women went through Menapause and how tough it could be. I remember well, how hard it was on my own Mom. I was determined to live a different life from my Mom, so that my results would be different. I can almost feel my Mom on the other side...smiling right now :)

. Hormones are Hormones, Life is Life and Stages in life are normal, even if we don't really want them. 

I finally got some natural things to get my sleep back, which was a big blessing. Not sleeping for weeks at a time made me a pretty unhappy camper.

Now for the hormone roller coaster, well... I am on it! Poor Jeff, he just looks at me crying and being so sad, and he doesn't quite no what to do with me. He keeps asking me what he can do... and I only wish I knew. He has been so kind and so patient, I really shouldn't complain at all. 

I remember right after being diagnosed with cancer for the 1st time, the oncologist explaing to be the side effects of some of the medicine he thought I should start taking! There were so many of them, I asked him "well, then what do you do for the big side effect of "Depression that you mentioned?" His response was " well, we can give you another medicine for that!"

I know this is all part of the menapause but I have to admit, it has been really scary at times. I am usually a very, very happy and positive person. To feel so down is not a fun place to be.

I know for a big part of my life I have done things more Natural and still I think that is what I would always choose first. So I am on a quest right now...trying to get my hormone balanced, my emotions in check and get some hope and energy back into my life.  I know millions of women have gone through this and LIVED! I just want to be one of them!!!
 To watch my body change ( and not for the better ), and to have my emotions on my sleeve all the time... has been a bigger challenge for me than I ever imagined.
That is one of the reason I haven't been writing, didn't feel like I had much to motivate you about!  This is suppose to be a motivational blog right ?

 I am so sorry I have been absent for awhile. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I want there to be something to learn from in this blog, not just a place to complain!
Lots of changing coming to my body, my mind and my work right now so... I am just going to try and take it one day at a time.
Thank you for your friendship and for your kind words. Even if my life is a bit crazy right now, I could never deny how Blessed I am!
Good Night dear friends!

The journey!

Throughout my life, I have always tried to take care of my body. But most of the time I was sick. As I got older, I realized how much the mind and body are connected and so... I began the long journey of healing both. The more I got healed on the inside, the clearer life became. Then I realized that it was vital as a Mother... to try to not only feed my kids well (which they have many stories to tell you about ), but to help them understand the Mind Body connection too!
It is a tough thing to teach to someone young, but vital for them to understand throughout their life.
Life is truly a journey!

"Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded."  ~ Goethe


Good night dear friends!

smallest things

This a very true quote, it is the small and simple things that I am missing the most right now ...fresh air, my grandkids, my family, my friends, my work, my calling at church and a healthy body.
Another tough day, need to remember my blessings!
Good night dear friends!

 ,

Someday!

I go to the most amazing Massage Therapist and she is also a YOGA teacher. Someday I would like to get to the point where my body is able to do Yoga. I love the way it truly helps you focus on what you can accomplish, and also emphasizes that you take care of your soul. That means I have to keep my mind clear and everything quiet around me. When I do that then I can always tell what my body and soul needs.
 So many times we focus everything on our body and forget to take care of our soul or our spirit! That is important and when I forget to take care of my spirit then everything in my life seems to get out of balance easily.
 That is where I have been for a couple of weeks. I have focused so much on trying to stay out of pain, that I have neglected my spiritual side and I know better than that. There is so much to be happy and grateful for and yet, I struggle to see any of that when I am in pain or out out of balance.
So until that someday comes and I start doing Yoga, I can at least focus more on my soul/spirit...and I know that will make all the difference!
Good night dear friends!

Hitting the WALL!

Have you ever heard the statement made by many marathon runners, when they say "Around the 22nd mile, I hit the wall"?

Energy Dynamics 101

( Here's the scientific explanation )

“Hitting The Wall is basically about running out of energy,” says Dave Martin, Ph.D., Emeritus Regent’s Professor of Health Sciences at Georgia State University in Atlanta—chemical energy, that is, stored in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and obtained from the breakdown, or metabolism, of energy-containing fuel. The runner’s primary fuel sources are carbohydrates (in the form of blood glucose and glycogen, a polymer of glucose stored in the muscles and liver) and fats (free fatty acids in the bloodstream and muscle triglycerides, molecules containing three fatty acids).

I actually heard about it when I was on the track team, and our coach was explaining it and what to do to keep going AFTER you hit the wall. That mentality stayed with me for years, even though I wasn't running on the track, I was running or working or not sleeping so much ...that I continually hit the Wall, but remembered well, how to keep pushing and keep going. I actually thought that was a good thing?

Then I began to get so sick, and I was always trying to learn new ways to be healthy. One of the first things that I learned was how important it is not to push so hard, or so fast that you hit the Wall, that means your energy is gone and it seems like your shoes are filled with concrete. In healing your Mind and Body, you are taught to honor that Wall, recognize you are too tired, too sleepy, too worn out and to stop everything and let your body rejuvenate. What an odd concept that was to me, what a hard time I had learning that. But now I have to admit that more often than not, I do stop and rest.

Today however and actually for the past 3 days, I have Hit the Wall at some point and despite what I know, I kept pushing and totally ignored the wall. I realized tonight that I need to go back to honoring my body. Listen to what it is trying to tell me. The hard part for me is when it happens and I am doing things that I LOVE TO DO! I got to teach my Quilt Class today, which I love! Then I drove my son to an appointment, stopped and did some errands and then got ready and went and taught a class at church tonight. What a HIGH I am on, but oh...my body is paying for it. So I am telling you that ...I do know better, and I can't keep doing that or my body will get sick. So I am going to try to pace myself more. Why is it, even at my age...I am still learning so many lessons, and some of them OVER and OVER again?  Actually, you don't have to answer that... I know the answer! I will try to do better tomorrow.
Good night dear friends!

 

"Respect your efforts, respect yourself.  Self-respect leads to self-discipline.  When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power."  ~Clint Eastwood

"Take care of your body.  It's the only place you have to live."  ~Jim Rohn

"The body never lies."  ~Martha Graham

"Sometimes your body is smarter than you are."  ~Author Unknown

 

 

"

Going to my Happy Place!

   It is just something we have always said to the kids, when something seems to hard for them to handle...like a Dental appointment, we tell them to just go to their Happy Place. I know that is much easier said than done, but there are times in our lives that we have to do that. For me it is an imaginary place, where I can get my head wrapped around whatever big task it is in front of me. I know where my real Happy Place is ... my home ( especially my sewing room ) but the Happy Place in my head takes quite a bit of effort to get there.
   I guess that really is what life is all about isn't it? Dentist's appointments, Doctor's appointment, waiting for lab results, anticipating a child leaving home, the worry of unemployment and on and on. I believe that everyone at one time in their life has to learn to go to their Happy Place. And for some of us ( lucky ) ones, we have to go there sometimes even once a day!.
   It really is a matter of faith for me. I know that I have to do something that is hard, that I really don't want to do, but it must be done. In some situations like I mentioned before, they can give you drugs to make you calm down or have the feeling of "whatever". I on the other hand am allergic to many of the drugs and so I don't have that luxury...I just have to go to my Happy Place!
   So I will take a deep breath, remember all the things I have accomplished before (that I never thought I could),and just close my eyes and get to my Happy Place as soon as possible. I do think this is Mind over Matter and for me...it takes a lot of FAITH and PRACTICE!

"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it."  ~Mary Engelbreit

"Every thought is a seed.  If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious."  ~Bill Meyer

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes."  ~William James

It's all connected!

What is that old song that went like this....the knee bone connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bone is connected to the hip bone...? Anyway, maybe some of you are too young to know it, but the idea is that everything is connected. I am learning this lesson more and more as I continue on with my new Physical Therapist who is also a Spine Specialist. Today she was testing the strength of my arm muscles and lower traps, she was shocked that they were almost not working at all. She then tested the soreness on the T -4 rib area and it was very sensitive. She then talked about all the scarring from my mastectomy and how that is effecting those muscles in my arms and around the ribs. She was shocked that no one told me about the side effects of cutting all those muscles and from the surgery. Of course if there is any kind of surgery, amputation, or accidents to your body...yes there will be side effects. I am frustrated ONCE AGAIN, of the lack of knowledge given to the cancer patients.
I know that the oncologist's and surgeons have done their job and when they are finished, they are finished. But we (the survivors) are the ones that have to continue to live with all the side effects of the surgeries, medications and or treatments. No one really talks much about that. Most of the information you have to find out on your own, it is NOT just told to you. And many patients are so scared and paralyzed from their diagnosis, that they just blindly do what they are told. I just get frustrated that there isn't more done to get patients to become healthy, happy survivors. There is a lot in between there that has been missed!
So once again, I am still struggling with the after effects of having had cancer and still paying $ for it too! That seems a bit much, when  you realize my surgery was almost 2 years ago! It definitely is life altering, for the Good and the Bad!

Well, it is Friday and Date Night with Jeff and so I will finish this up. The message of this post today is... that we need to listen to our bodies, know what they need and don't need! We need to also get informed about anything (such as surgery or treatments and medications) that will be done to our bodies! It is all connected, yes, they only took a breast but...they cut my muscles, my immune system has been compromised and other other areas have been damaged from the whole ordeal, not even mentioning the emotional effect it has had. Yes, from our head to our toes, it is all connected and it is vital that we know that, and be pro-active to get all the knowledge we can, to get to the healthiest place we can be! I am still on that journey frustrated but grateful to be able to at least take this journey!

"The body never lies."  ~Martha Graham

"The human body is the only machine for which there are no spare parts."  ~Hermann M. Biggs

"Trying out new ways of using your body in handling various situations breaks you free from old ways of thinking and being."  ~ Mirka Knaster

Gratitude for our bodies

Sometimes I think I forget to thank God for this body of mine. I do pray often to keep it moving, going and healthy... but fail to remember what an amazing thing it is. I was reading in the book called STANDING FOR SOMETHING by Gordon B. Hinckley and in there he talks about how we should be grateful for our bodies. Since this is the month that reminds us to be more thankful, I thought I would share an excerpt from his book.

"TO BEGIN WITH, I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE WONDERS OF THE HUMAN BODY AND THE MIRACLE OF THE HUMAN MIND AS CREATIONS OF THE ALMIGHTY. I HAVE IN MY HOME A REASONABLY GOOD SOUND SYSTEM. NOW AND AGAIN I SIT QUIETLY IN THE SEMIDARKNESS AND LISTEN FOR AN HOUR OR SO TO MUSIC THAT HAS ENDURED THROUGH THE CENTURIES BECAUSE OF ITS REMARKABLE QUALITIES. EVERY TIME I LISTEN TO BEETHOVEN'S CONCERTO FOR THE VIOLIN, I MARVEL THAT SUCH A THING COULD COME OF THE MIND OF A MAN. IN MANY RESPECTS, THE COMPOSER WAS MUCH LIKE THE REST OF US. HE GOT HUNGRY, FELT PAIN, AND HAD MOST OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE ALL HAVE--AND PERHAPS SOME THAT WE DO NOT HAVE. BUT OUT OF THE GENIUS OF HIS MIND CAME A TREMENDOUS BLENDING TO CREATE RARE AND MAGNIFICENT MASTERPIECES OF MUSIC.

HAVE YOU EVER CONTEMPLATED THE WONDER OF YOURSELF, THE EYES WITH WHICH YOU SEE, THE EARS WITH WHICH YOU HEAR, THE VOICE WITH WHICH YOU SPEAK?  NO CAMERA EVER BUILT CAN COMPARE WITH THE HUMAN EYE. NO METHOD OF COMMUNICATION EVER DEVISED CAN COMPARE WITH THE VOICE AND THE EAR. NO PUMP EVER BUILT WILL RUN AS LONG OR AS EFFICIENTLY AS THE HUMAN HEART. WHAT A REMARKABLE CREATURE EACH OF US IS! WE CAN THINK BY DAY AND DREAM BY NIGHT. WE CAN SPEAK AND HEAR, SMELL AND TASTE AND FEEL. WE CAN STORE WHAT WE EXPERIENCE AND LEARN IN A REMARKABLE RETRIEVAL SYSTEM UNMATCHED BY THE MOST SPECTACULAR COMPUTER. WE CAN LEARN AND GROW AND PROGRESS AND BECOME BETTER TOMORROW THEN WE ARE TODAY."

I loved the way he talked about the wonders of our bodies. Some times we are quick to remember what our bodies CAN"T DO ANYMORE ( me included ), but forget to be thankful for all the wonderful things IT CAN DO! I need to remember this more often. I still have so much to be thankful for and this was a wonderful reminder for me. I think when we see a little baby we always acknowledge the wonder and beauty of their little bodies but some how we lose that wonder as we get older and take for granted all that it can do. So tonight, I am grateful for my body, even with all it's illnesses and pains ...I am grateful for it. I hope you will be too. Good night!

"Begin to see yourself as a soul with a body rather than a body with a soul."
Wayne Dyer

"OUR BODIES COMMUNICATE TO US CLEARLY AND SPECIFICALLY, IF WE ARE WILLING TO LISTEN TO THEM."  ~Shakti Gawain

"Wisdom is to the soul what health is to the body."
De Saint-Real

More Pain!

For the past 3 years I have been having some pain in my knees off and on, I have tried hard to not complain about it and try to ignore it. Then last year, I noticed that it hurt a bit more to go up and down the stairs and that my knees were making noise at the same time. The past few months the pain has seemed to get worse and then right before my trip back East, I started feeling a tearing sensation when I would squat down and then it would burn for hours right under the knee caps. This past week it has gotten even worse and weak and so today I went to an Orthopedic Doctor to find out what was going on? I tried to wish it away but I knew I couldn't. I was even worried that it may be some kind of cancer in my bones, I have to do an MRI tomorrow to see more details but we don't think it is that. ( that is a common survivor's worry ) The doctor told me that the problem is in my knee caps and it is a common thing with women. ( I don't know why, will think to ask that tomorrow ) It is called Chondromalacia Patellae, it is where there is something that happened to the muscles or ligaments that call them to pull too hard or not hard enough. When that happens, the kneecap no longer glides easily against the thighbone. Pressure may be spread unevenly on the back of the kneecap, causing wear and tear on the cartilage. My kneecap is located too far to the right and that he says throws off everything. My gate ( or my walk ) is effected by that and that too... could be adding to a lot of my back pain. He also said that I had a lot of arthritis in both knees. The good news is that it is a common problem and usually the treatment is nonsurgical but includes rehabilitation and taking anti-inflammatories. The bad news is...he thinks my knee problem is more severe than what rehab could improve, and that I will have to have some type of surgery to correct it, then rehab.

So tonight, I have to say that I am pretty down and discouraged. We don't know all the information yet, but we are pretty for sure that I am going to have to have more surgery. It hasn't even been a year since my mastectomy...how can I be falling apart this fast? I just want to stop hurting, I want to go on with life, I want to look forward to things....I am not sure where to go from here?

Thanks for listening, I will get through this too, but for now...I am hurting, sad and afraid of what else I am going to have to go through. Life is tough, certainly worth it, but tough. I  pray that once again I will be given the whatever it is going to take, to meet this next trial.

I wonder if the author of the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty was a kid who had a mother like me, :) it does seem like when we get one thing fixed ...something else falls apart. Maybe that is why I can relate to this nursery rhyme so much. Didn't say that I liked it but that I can relate to it!

Good night dear friends and thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers, heaven knows I need them.

I have to look at this card Lauren and Amy made for me and remember it is true!

"It is not a question of God allowing or not allowing things to happen. It is part of living. Some things we do to ourselves, other things we do to each other. Our Father knows about every bird which falls to the ground, but He does not always prevent it from falling. What are we to learn from this? That our response to what happens is more important than what happens. Here is a mystery: one man’s experience drives him to curse God, while another man’s identical experience drives him to bless God. Your response to what happens is more important than what happens." –Chip Brogden

"Adversity introduces a man to himself." --Unknown

Too Busy?

My whole life I have struggled to find that balance between being too busy and feeling like I am not doing enough. Then as I got older, with more kids and more responsibilities the struggle got even worse. When I got into my late 30's my body started rebelling on me, I guess it got tired of all the time I miss treated it...all in the name of being TOO BUSY. I didn't have time to stop and rest, there was always so much to do and so many others who needed something. I didn't help being a pleaser either, all those years. I hate to let people down, for some reason I felt like I personally should have been some type of superwoman so that I could help and serve all. When my body gave up, I really didn't have any choice other than to slow down and re-evaluate my life and changes that I needed to make. The sad part was that some of those things with my body did not restore themselves after such neglect. Now mind you I didn't neglect in every way... just certain ways. Everyone seems to have certain things that they feel passionate about, the struggle though is balance and there in lies the problem.  You are probably wondering if I have ever had any counseling for this struggle? Yes, I have and believe it or not, I have even counseled others on how to take care of themselves. The trick is...like anything else in this world, you have to keep working at it, some times daily reminding yourself to do a BALANCE CHECK.

Some areas in my life I was better at than others like I was very aware of my food and I tried hard to remember to eat only what was good for me and I planned meals out that were good for my family too.I was always very concern about the moral decisions and principles that we were teaching our kids and making ourselves. But sleep wasn't one of those things that I actually believed in, it seemed like such a waste of time. So I only sleep 4-5 hours a night, that way I COULD DO MORE!  (Balance ...yeah, I wasn't very good at that ). Isn't it funny how it is always easier to see the mistakes and wrong decisions of others, easier than recognizing them in yourself? Or how it is easy to take care of yourself in some ways and neglect others.

Tonight I just got up from a nap, I was sooo tired and hurting that I felt sick. All day, I probably should have laid low but I didn't. I was out of balance yet again! I sorta feel like a slow learner, I know that in order to serve and help others, that you need to pace yourself and listen carefully what your body is saying to you. Today I must have had a relapse because I could feel the wall that I was hitting with my fatigue and pain and yet I didn't stop, I just kept going. I think I even said to myself "Lynn, you don't have time to be this tired or feeling sick, you just don't have the time." When the truth was.... I have as much time as everyone else in the world, I just need to prioritize and stop when I need to stop. Why is that such a tough thing to understand and learn?

Anyway, I am going to head to bed again, maybe I can start feeling a bit better if I do. Please take notes from a lady that truly knows... but has a hard time following through. Don't push through that wall, it is not worth it. ( I am not talking about all your runners and the wall, I am talking about the wall that signals to  your body when you need to stop and relax.)  You will have a lot more to offer others if you take care of yourself first and you will be a lot happier; the feeling that you are always letting someone down or not meeting their need is a negative one and will not serve you in the end. Thanks for listening and for caring for me, even if I am a slow learner!  :)

Painting by Jeremy Wilson

Busy

Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter ask for a job in a timber merchant, and he got it. The paid was really good and so were the work conditions. For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees "Congratulations," the boss said. "Go on that way!" Very motivated for the boss words, the woodcutter try harder the next day, but he only could bring 15 trees. The third day he try even harder, but he only could bring 10 trees.Day after day he was bringing less and less trees. "I must be losing my strength", the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. "When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" the boss asked. "Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees..."  Stephen Covey

"The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is on the contrary born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life.
When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything
else - we are the busiest people in the world." - Eric Hoffer